WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari made a three-day
visit to China this week at a time when relations between Islamabad and
Beijing appear to be growing stronger.
Regional analysts say
that while China is of growing importance to Pakistan, it is unlikely
to replace the U.S. role as a dominant influence there, reported Voice
of America.
The opening ceremony at the first China Eurasia
Expo was full of pomp and fanfare. Greeted with applause and smiles,
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari ended his visit to China standing
on stage next to the man who is widely expected to be the country’s
next leader - Vice Premier Li Keqiang.
Ties have long been
strong between Pakistan and China, a country Islamabad endearingly
calls its "all-weather friend." Mr. Zardari has visited China twice
since the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound - seven times since
becoming president.
Some regional analysts say the recent
deterioration of U.S.-Pakistan ties has pushed Pakistan into Beijing’s
arms. They argue the combination of repeated drone strikes in Pakistani
territory, the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound, and suspension of
$800-million in military American aid to Pakistan has brought Beijing
and Islamabad closer together.
But regional analyst Tarique
Niazi, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin Eau
Claire, says Mr. Zardari’s most recent visit to China is part of an
ongoing effort by Pakistan to seek help to address its urgent needs and
boost trade. And not necessarily a sign of shifting alliances.
"Pakistan
is short of energy resources. It has about 4,000 megawatts of
electrical shortage. So, China is helping Pakistan meet that shortage
of electricity," Niazi said.
One of the ways that China is
doing that is by building massive hydropower projects in both
Pakistan’s northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistani-controlled
Kashmir.
Niazi notes that representatives from both regions
traveled to China this week with Mr. Zardari. Pakistan’s president is
constantly focused on three things, he adds: investment, trade and
economic development.
"President Zardari, especially I must
say, that he is the first leader of Pakistan whose focus is almost
entirely on economic development and developing business relationships
with not only the public sector and the government sector of China, but
the private sector also," Niazi said.
When Mr. Zardari stepped
into office, he pledged to visit China every three months - and for the
most part has kept that promise. Since then, analysts say he has inked
deals that will raise China’s overall investment in Pakistan from
$20-billion to more than $50-billion.
China is eager to boost trade and investment in the region too.
At
the opening ceremony of the China Eurasia Expo, Commerce Minister Chen
Deming highlighted how China was reaching out to Asian and European
countries at a time when the world economy has yet to recover from the
global financial crisis.
Chen says China is moving faster in
opening its western region and border areas to promote regional
development. He says China is taking a big step forward to deepening
development and cooperation between Asian and European countries.
And the benefits flow both ways.
"I
would say that the best way to think about the current situation is
that China is expanding in all directions, its power is growing, and it
is looking north, south, east and west. And when it looks to Pakistan
it sees potential in terms of access to Central Asia, Central Asia
energy markets. It sees access to the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean,"
said Daniel Markey, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations
for India, Pakistan and South Asia.
Markey says that while
Pakistan has been reaching out recently to China, in part to show
Washington it has options, he is not convinced Beijing is interested in
seeing a real rupture between Islamabad and Washington.
"My
sense is that, yes, over the long term, China would like to be the
dominant influence in Pakistan and really expand its influence
throughout the region, which would probably mean a lesser influence for
the United States. But, in the short time, China has been very
comfortable essentially free-riding off of whatever stability and
security the United States has provided and that they do not want to
change," Markey said.
He says one reason for that is because a
rupture in ties between Pakistan and the United States could trickle
over into relations between Beijing and Washington, and there the two
already have enough to deal with as it is. Online
