News Analysis |
Pakistan and China have once again agreed upon and stressed on the need for chalking out a political solution to the Afghan issue. The assertion against a military-led new South Asia policy was made in a joint press conference by Foreign Ministers of both the countries, Khawaja Asif and Wang Yi in Beijing where the former landed today as part of his diplomatic outreach visit to garner support against mounting pressure from Washington.
Sino-Pak ties will be further strengthened, not only due to bilateral arrangements but also because of changing geopolitical dynamics in the region
Asif said that the two countries agreed that the solution to the Afghan conflict has to be essentially political and that there is no military panacea to the issue. While appreciating China’s endeavors toward ending the Afghan issue, Asif said that both countries can play an important in solving the simmering issue.
Read more: Pakistan Is Uniting China, Russia, and Turkey against Trump’s Afghan strategy
Ever since the announcement of the new South Asia policy, the two countries, while rejecting Trump’s plan for Afghanistan have more actively called for a political solution to the conflict. Washington whipped up the vitriol against Pakistan due to its alleged support to “agents of chaos”. However, Trump’s speech and the ensuing threats by the top US officials have been met with a defiant response from Pakistan.
US-Sino ties will further vitiate owing to the simmering nuclear brinkmanship on the Korean Peninsula; it is expected that the brunt will be borne in the South Asian theater
The country has decided to redraw rules of engagements with the US; both the civilian and military leadership have asked the world to acknowledge and “do more”. Part of Pakistan’s response to Trump is based on aggressive narrative-selling diplomacy, of which Asif’s China visit is a part. He will be meeting Russian, Iranian and Turkish leaders in a bid to elicit support for its stance on the issue.
Read more: What Afghan ‘stalemate’ is all about
China’s support
Amid speculations and concerns that China sold Islamabad a dummy after it named, allegedly Pakistani-backed militants in the BRICS Declaration earlier this week, China has once again reiterated its support for the country in its fight against terror. Chinese foreign minister said Pakistan and China stand together in the changing regional and global scenario.
A day after China and India called for friendly relations, the Indian Army Chief warned his forces to be ready for a two-front war with China and Pakistan
“China supports Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty and dignity,” he said while reaffirming the need for an Afghan-led peace process in the country. The spirit of the joint presser has once again shown that BRICS Declaration will have little impact on ties between the two countries, for both are indispensable to each other in the current scheme of things, especially given that CPEC lies at the heart of OBOR.
Read more: Hekmatyar urges Pakistan to “stay away” from Afghanistan
A day after China and India called for friendly relations, the Indian Army Chief warned his forces to be ready for a two-front war with China and Pakistan. There are other pressing issues which have caused bad blood between Beijing and Delhi, something which will only exacerbate with time.
“China supports Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty and dignity,” he said while reaffirming the need for an Afghan-led peace process in the country
China’s plan for Afghanistan brings it in direct conflict with the US and its ally, India. Hence, ties between the two countries will likely to go on a downward-spiral in spite of a tactical breathing window which BRICS provided. US-Sino ties will further vitiate owing to the simmering nuclear brinkmanship on the Korean Peninsula; it is expected that the brunt will be borne in the South Asian theater.
Sino-Pak ties will be further strengthened, not only due to bilateral arrangements but also because of changing geopolitical dynamics in the region.