"With India ascendant in the global hierarchy and strengthening ties with the US, China is finding that Pakistan is increasingly important in its bid to fend off the joint Indo-US challenge in the region.
China was perhaps the only major power that openly voiced support for Pakistan after Bin Laden's assassination. During the latest visit, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao affirmed that "Pakistan has made huge sacrifices and an important contribution to the international fight against terrorism, that its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity must be respected, and that the international community should understand and support Pakistan's efforts to maintain domestic stability and to realize economic and social development." Wen went on to state that China would like to be an "all-weather strategic partner" and will do its best to help the Pakistani government and people get through their difficulties.
To underscore its commitment, China has concluded a co-production agreement to immediately provide Pakistan with 50 new JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter jets, even as negotiations continue for more fighter aircraft, including those with stealth technology. Despite this, Pakistan wanted more from China - as was underscored by its expressed desire to have China take over the operation of Gwadar port in the Arabian Sea west of Karachi, in which China has invested heavily in recent years and which serves an important role in the projection of China's naval capabilities in the region. Pakistan has suggested that the port could be upgraded to a naval base for Chinese use . China, however, immediately rejected this offer, not wanting to antagonize the US and India with the formal establishment of a base in Pakistan"...........LINK
No comments:
Post a Comment