The people of China are celebrating the 60th Independence Day of the modern China. Traditionally China has been a major Asian power and for hundreds of years, it dominated the world politics. It had trade and business ties with Europe and America even before the invention of the modern means of communication. The famous silk route was basically a trade link between the primordial China and Europe through Central Asia (Turkistan) and Middle East (West Asia). Since Pakistan came into being at a time once China was under the grip of civil war, therefore it had the feeler of its sturdy creation. Pakistan had the honour of recognizing this great neighbour soon after it came into being and was the first Muslim country to do so. In these initial days, Pakistan maintained a steady and cordial relationship with China and supported restoration of its legitimate right in the United Nations Organizations through hectic lobbying, which positioned it as the permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. After the Sino-India war of 1962, Pakistan and China signed an agreement on re-demarcation of Sino-Pak border in 1963. Later China helped Pakistan in the construction of a road linking China’s Xinjian region with the Northern areas of Pakistan. The strategic partnership between both countries was initially driven by the mutual need and to counter the influence of other regional and extra regional powers. Apart from the political connections, both countries had developed military relationship which subsequently led towards creation of a Joint Committee for Economy, Trade and Technology in 1982. Earlier, Pakistan played a very crucial role in bringing United States and China closer to each other in early 1970s. The opportunities had allowed China to come out from the close economy and regional politics, thus allowing it to interact with the countries at the global level. Because of that beginning, China later modified its stratagem in the field of politics, trade and industrialization and has now emerged as a global power. During the cold war as well as thereafter, Pakistan indeed acted as a bridge between China and the Western world. It assisted China in flaking away the impression that China is a close society, friendly to former Soviet Union and is anti West. The friendship between the two countries has matured into a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace and development in the days to come. Right from the beginning, the bi-lateral relationship between the two countries has remained as a relatively uninterrupted, trust-bond and all-weather. It is said that friendship between Pakistan and China is “deeper than the oceans, and higher than the mountains.” Over the years, this friendship has survived numerous geo-political and geo-strategic changes which took place at the global and regional level. These changes include; normalization of Sino-Indian relations from 1989 onwards, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, post 9/11 developments especially once Pakistan is acting as a frontline state in the global war against terror as well as the recent Indo-US strategic convergence. During the critical stages like 1965 and 1971 wars, China whole-heartedly supported Pakistan with necessary weapons and equipment. It did not abandon Pakistan in the post Cold War era, rather emerged as the most important strategic guarantor of Pakistan. At the global level, China had always supported Pakistani point of view on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and declared India as an illegal occupant of the state’s territory. More recently, China denied visa to Kashmiri nationals on Indian passport and later decided to issue that only after attaching a separate paper with the passport, thus considers Kashmir as not being a part of India. Subsequent to Indo-US Strategic Partnership in 2005, Pakistan and China had signed a landmark ‘Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation’, whereby both committed themselves that “neither party will join any alliance or bloc which infringes upon the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity” of either nation, and “would not conclude treaties of this nature with any third party.” Pakistan and China are closely co-operating in the field of Defence production. China has been a high-value guarantor and a reliable supplier of conventional military equipment to Pakistan like; F-7 fighters, a version of the T-96 main battle tank, and subsidizing the future construction of four frigates for the Pakistan navy. Apart from this, there is a joint production of ‘JF-17 Thunder’ aircraft between Pakistan and China which has the strategic significance for Pakistan, and is a unique example of Sino-Pak deep-rooted friendship. China is also a major source of investment and trade for Pakistan. In 2008, Pak-China trade volume remained $ 7 billion. In the initial six months of the current year the bi-lateral trade volume between two countries have been $ 3.06 billion and likely to reach all time high by the end of this year. The newly signed contracts between both countries have a value of $ 3.22 billion. There has been a foreign direct investment of over $1 billion from Chinese investors to Pakistan during the last financial year. Through a free trade pact signed between Pakistan and China in 2006, it is expected that the bi-lateral trade volume would reach to $15 billion within the next five years. The only strategically significant deep sea Gwadar port in Pakistan has been completed in a record time with the whole-hearted support of China. The port is located just 150 nautical miles from the Straits of Hormuz, thus overlooking the world busiest straits through which passes nearly 60 per cent of the world’s oil supplies. It can act as an alternative to the shipping route or as a storage place of the heavy oil tankers in the event of the blockade of the straits of Hormuz. The needed communication infrastructure, linking the port with rest of the Balochistan province and Karachi has also been developed by China. The port is of the great strategic value as it supplements Pakistan’s importance in the region, while allowing China to diversify and secure its crude oil import routes and simultaneously gain access to the Persian Gulf. Through an agreement, China is in the process of linking the Central Asian Republics with the Karakoram Highway and also the widening process of the KKH on the Pakistani side, which ultimately would link the Gwadar with its semi-autonomous region of Xinjiang through an all-weather highway. The Gwadar port and communication infrastructure upon completion would enable China to have an easy access to the Middle Eastern countries and its strategic presence around the Indian Ocean. This gigantic network linking Gwadar, with Central Asia, Middle East and to Xinjiang would facilitate China in managing its energy needs to sustain its heavy industrial set-up. Apart from this, the network would integrate Pakistan into the Chinese economy by out sourcing low tech, basic production and manufacturing jobs, making it into a giant factory floor for China. Pakistan would thus become a regional trade-hub for commercial traffic and there will be an economic development of the country at the domestic level. Unfortunately, the opportunity cannot be materialized unless there is a peace and stability in Pakistan in particular and region in general. Owing to the foreign interventions in the internal affairs of Pakistan, especially by our eastern neighbour, there is a state of continuing instability in some parts of the country which constraint the perceived Sino-Pak economic activities. Indeed the foreign forces operating within Pakistan have the mandate to sabotage the economic prosperity of Pakistan, which it expects through trade and transit from its area. Some of the neighbouring Muslim countries considered Gwadar as the potential threat for their economic centres and activities have been exploited by India and all those powers, which feel rising China as a threat to them. The situation under going since last few years cannot be allowed to prolong for an indefinite period. Pakistan has suffered enough especially in the field of economy and it cannot afford any more. In most part of its history, Pakistan has been wrestling with the issues like good governance, security and eradication of poverty. Therefore we must rise to the occasion and put our house in order for smooth running of economic activities in the country. Killings of Chinese nationals must be controlled for re-dressing the Chinese concerns. In addition, China must be assured on tangible terms that no Pakistani national is involved in any violent activities within China or against its nationals working in Pakistan. Indeed no Pakistani can do that as China is doing this all for Pakistan. All those elements involved in the derailing of Sino-Pak relations must be exposed to let their designs known to everyone at the global level. In order to realize significance of the true potential of the time-tested friendship with China, the ever expanding strategic partnership between India and United States has to be countered at all costs. Like earlier, Pakistan remains relevant to China and so is the case with Pakistan. It is, therefore, essential to engage China in a big way. More space should be provided to China for developmental projects in Pakistan from which both the countries can benefit economically and security-wise. The agreements already concluded with China must be pursued to accrue maximum benefits. In the words of Mr. Luo Zhaohui, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, “China-Pakistan relations have become an example of harmonious co-existence between countries of different civilizations. We view our relations with Pakistan in strategic terms and from a long terms perspective. Let’s join hands and work hard to usher in a much brighter tomorrow of Sino-Pak friendship and cooperation”.
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