There is no doubt that China uses Pakistan as a proxy military and nuclear power against India.
There is no doubt that China uses Pakistan as a proxy military and nuclear power against India.
More recently, China has used its position as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the UN Security Council’s Al Qaeda and ISIL (Daesh) Sanctions Committee (also known as the UNSC 1267 Committee). Had to ban Laskar-A List. -Taiba (LeT) terrorist Sajid Mir, one of India’s most wanted in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Earlier, China had banned the list of terrorists designated by the US. Abdul Rehman Makki And Abdul Rauf Azhari Lashkar and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) respectively. Significantly, China had openly opposed the listing of JeM chief Masood Azhar for ten years till 2019.
These terrorists are based in Pakistan and enjoy the protection of its “deep state”. Despite China’s efforts to protect its “all-weather friend” from global condemnation, Pakistan remains on the “Grey List” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).,
China’s abuse of its P-5 status hinders collective efforts to combat terrorism. Such actions are in direct contrast to the global consensus on the curse of international terrorism.
Counter-terrorism is not the only area in which the Sino-Pak tandem has undermined global efforts. There is also a long history of collusion between the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. There are other examples of cooperation in the areas of military affairs and infrastructure and connectivity that have proved destabilizing for regional stability in South Asia.
missile propagation
The Sino-Pak alliance is well-recorded in the field of nuclear and missile proliferation. The illegal AQ Khan network evolved into a three-way spread with China and Pakistan helping each other with bomb design. Together, the two countries helped North Korea with weapons of mass destruction (WMD) technologies. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had reported that between 1991 and 1993, China had supplied 34 M-11 short range missiles to Pakistan in violation of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). Subsequent cooperation included the Chinese supply of ring magnets for high-speed centrifuges to Pakistan and the boost to existing arrangements to deepen cooperation through the Chashma series of nuclear reactors.
Strong military ties have been the cornerstone of China-Pakistan relations since the 1960s. For China, it has emerged as a low-cost tool to balance India and maintain it in the subcontinent. About 47% of China’s military exports go to Pakistan and include the full spectrum of support from small arms to fighter jets, as well as ships and submarines. These include advanced equipment such as JF-17 fighter jets, K-8 training aircraft, Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS), Al-Khalid tanks and Babur cruise missiles.
The so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), is one of the mainstays of connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This violates the Sino-Pak Boundary Agreement of March 1963, Article 6 of which explicitly refers to its interim nature. Done without any comprehensive consultation with India, which has territorial claims over the territory through which it runs, the CPEC has proved disruptive to both India-Pakistan and India-China relations.
China got involved in the CPEC project for its own sake, which was more strategic than economic. The Karakoram Highway passes through the Khunjerab Pass and facilitates direct connectivity between the occupied Kashmir region on both sides, including the Trans-Karakoram tract of Shaksgam claimed by India, which is now part of China-occupied Kashmir. CPEC gives China access to the Indian Ocean, natural resources, and facilitates greater control over a strategic partner prone to turmoil.
Today, China is one of the largest lenders to Pakistan, accounting for over 27% of Pakistan’s debt. Bilateral trade stands at around $20 billion, but is skewed in favor of China, which has a large favorable balance of trade in the region of $18 billion. There are signs of resentment in Pakistan over the over-reliance on China and the exploitative and usurious terms inherent in CPEC projects.
One of the enduring features of the Sino-Pak collusion pertains to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. During the 1950s, China’s position on the Kashmir issue was relatively neutral. In the 1960s and 1970s, following border conflicts with India, China intensified its rhetoric of support for “self-determination” for the people of Kashmir based on UN resolutions. As the 1980s progressed and relations between India and China gradually improved, China’s stance changed somewhat, with an emphasis on resolving the issue on the basis of UN resolutions and relevant bilateral agreements. Gone.
After India abrogated Article 370 in August 2019, China strongly opposed the internal political changes made by India. China made three unsuccessful attempts to initiate a discussion on Jammu and Kashmir in the UN Security Council at the behest of Pakistan. A party to the Kashmir dispute itself, China is secretly pushing Pakistan to change the status of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) by converting it into its fifth province. The intention is to weaken and strengthen the interim nature of the 1963 agreement between the two countries. really Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) region is occupied by Pakistan and Shaksgam is occupied by China.
Political Advocacy
In addition to synchronizing their positions at the United Nations, China and Pakistan have formed new tandems extending to other international organizations such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Pakistan is China’s main bridge to the Islamic world. Pakistan has been instrumental in easing pressure on China within the OIC due to its human rights violations in Xinjiang and the mistreatment of its Muslim minorities, especially the Uighurs. Pakistan is also sensitive to Chinese concerns regarding East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) separatists taking refuge in FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas).
As Pakistan gradually moved away from America, it moved closer to China. China’s economic growth and growing power is an attractive factor for a stricken economy like Pakistan. As part of their Faustian bargaining, the two act as slaves to each other on important issues. In return for giving Pakistan a relief at the UN on its list of Pakistan-based terrorists, China uses the former to secure its interests in the OIC. Taken over by the Sino-Pak conspiracies, the OIC has adopted hypocritical positions on its treatment of the Muslim minority in Xinjiang.
There is no doubt that China uses Pakistan as a proxy military and nuclear power against India. A key strategic objective for China is to gain access to basking facilities in Gwadar and other sites along the Indian Ocean coast. Furthermore, Pakistan’s use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy, ironically, appears to be valued and encouraged by China, as demonstrated by subsequent actions at the United Nations.
Sujan Chinoy is the Director General of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis, New Delhi. Views expressed are personal.