Book Review : The China Pakistan Axis , The New Geopolitics by Andrew Small
R.K.Upadhyay1. In 1951 China favoured socialist , non aligned India . It gave a claim on 3400 sq miles territory to Pakistan .
Ayub even wanted a common defence pact with India which Nehru rejected . China made an all weather road
linking Xinjiang with Lhasa passing for 212 miles in Indian territory . Chou en Lai advocated swapping of territory
in East and West which Nehru rejected .
Problems started with Tibetian uprising in Lhasa in 1959 . Dalai Lama fled by walking for twelve days and was
given asylum in India . China suspected that India had supported CIA in arranging the uprising . Mao decided to
cultivate Pakistan .
2. After 1962 war Ayub gave a part of Kashmir to China and settled the border dispute . Ayub was badly
disillusioned by lack of American support in 1965 and accepted Bhutto and army’s suggestion to cultivate
China for security . Bhutto in a note in jail before being hanged wrote that his eleven years of effort in
making China a friend will be a testimony to his commitment to Pakistan . But after luke warm verbal
support in 1971 China gave full support to Pakistan after breakup. . It gave enriched Uranium for two bombs
and all the missing information required . It gave the missile technology . But Pakistan made long range
Ghauri missile before India with a swap deal with North Korea exchanging Nuclear and missile technologies .
But after Kargil China and USA are now coordinating in India Pakistan matters favouring stability .
3. Pakistan’s free marketing of nuclear technologies came to be known when Gaddafi handed over
the full nuclear secrets obtained from Pakistan to escape punishment in Lockerbie bombing . Package
included manuals in Chinese also . ( Subsequently even Iran admitted to Pakistan as the source of
nuclear know how , not mentioned in this book ).
4. China has decided to back Pakistan fully in defence matters . In 2010 it signed agreements to build
two 300 mw nuclear power plants for Pakistan .In 2013 reports of a 1000 mw nuclear power plant for
Pakistan are being featured in newspapers . China is hoodwinking NSG .
5.Uighur lslamic militants from China’s muslim majority province of Xinjiang were being trained in Pakistan .
Chinese workers are being abducted to cause maximum embrassment to Pakistan government and extract
big concessions . A massage parlour Chinese staff was abducted alleging parlour as a thinly veiled
prostitution centre . On subsequent crackdown on Lal Masjid by Musharraf many undertraining Uighur terrorists
were also killed . China has started dealing with many Islamic terror organisations and radical parties . But
it has accepted Islamic terrorism in Pakistan as a fact but is trying to solate its Xinjiang province and has
largely been successful .
6. It was well past midnight when Chou en Lai , breaking all protocols walked into the room of Ghulam Farooque . It was explained that ancient route for Chinese trade with middle east was not via Shanghai but Karachi .
7. By 2012 an average Chinese earned five times more than an average Pakistani .China’s economy was 35 times the size of Pakistani economy . Yet the total Sino Pakistani trade was 12 billion dollars compared to 66 billion dollars between India and China . The total Sino Pakistani trade between 1995 and 2007 was 20 billion dollars ie half of Indo China trade in 2007 alone .
But Chinese investment in Pakistan from 2000- 2005 was only $400000
But it shot up and in 2013 it was estimated to be between 4 – 6 billion dollars . But China turned down Zardari’s request for direct grants to overcome balance of payment crisis . There was an informal Sino American understanding that Pakistan should follow IMF regime .
8 . Transport cost via land route from Gwadar port to China consumption points is about five times the cost by sea . Gwadar is an strategic requirement to release pressure if Straits of Mallacca are choked .It is not a commercial requirement .
9 . China was happiest with Musharraf government due to its decisiveness and quick implementation and disliked the Zardari government . It was also annoyed that Zardari visited USA before visiting China .
10. China burnt its hand in Afghanistan in investing in Ayank copper mines , holding world’s second largest copper reserves worth 88 billion dollars .US felt cheated that they made the sacrifices and Chinese just collected the booty .$ 30 million bribe was paid to Afghan minister in Dubai . Ultimately Chinese withdrew .
11. China maintained contacts with Taliban as well as other Afghan groups to keep its Xinjiang province safe . It largely succeeded in its mission .
12. China signed 46 BILLION DOLLAR DEAL ON CPEC with Nawaz as it did not want to sign it with Zardari .
13 . After CPEC China’s interest in Pakistan will be crtical and it will support Pakistan militarily .But it is giving no grants to Pakistan in US style .
CPEC is a big subject not covered in this book but we will deal with it subsequently
