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Pakistan: Returning to China's Umbrella of Support
December 21, 2001
Summary
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will begin a four-day trip to China Dec. 20. Pakistan, having received little in return from the United States after supporting the war on Afghanistan, will use the visit to strengthen ties with China. China will take the opportunity to slide itself back up to the international playing table.
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Analysis
The president of Pakistan will travel to China Dec. 20 to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. During the four-day visit, Pakistani and Chinese officials will discuss issues such as the rebuilding of Afghanistan, as well as bilateral economic cooperation.
Strengthening ties with China will help President Pervez Musharraf regain much of the public approval he lost after cooperating with the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan. China's support also gives Pakistan leverage to balance the increasing U.S. support of rival India. For its part, Beijing will use the relationship to reassert itself internationally, after the anti-terrorism coalition left the communist country largely behind.
For Pakistan, Washington has proved to be fickle; much of the promised U.S. economic and military aid has not materialized. With the recent Taliban withdrawal in Afghanistan, Pakistan now is sandwiched between a volatile country in the midst of rebuilding and a hostile nuclear power. Islamabad needs an ally it can count on.
Unlike the United States, China has been a much more consistent friend. The 50 years of Sino-Pakistani relations have yielded bilateral trade worth about $1 billion annually. Beijing also offered Islamabad $1.2 million in aid in September, Reuters reported. But the recent global and regional developments have made political and economic support from China even more important to Pakistan.
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Dan
Pakistan: Returning to China's Umbrella of Support . . .