Poreg View: The timing of joint exercises by Pakistan and China near Jhelum, about 50 miles from Islamabad is significant. The two week long war games began on Nov 16. Code named YOUVI (Friendship), these exercises are at the brigade level and involve some 500 soldiers from the two countries at a time Pakistan’s relations with the United States have nosedived after a series of flip-flops which started with the smoking out of Osama bin Laden from his safe lair in Abbottabad. Recent days have seen a top American General go public openly accusing ISI and GHQ as the main hurdle for peace in Afghanistan with their support to Haqqani net work.
Islamabad’s growing tensions with Washington coincided with a step up in the ties with Beijing. Historically, Islamabad always considers China as its all-weather friend and banks on Beijing to achieve some of its strategic goals particularly vis-à-vis India in the Kashmir theatre. The India angle to Pakistan- China friendship, therefore, cannot be ignored. The anti-American dimension to these ties is a recent vintage. Pakistan served American interests in the Afghan war before and after 9/11; but the fear of US undermining its own strategic interests pushed the country deeply into China’s fold.
China has reasons to be weary of Pakistan in the context of Islamic insurgency in the Xinjiang province dominated by ethnic Uyghurs. Like the Americans in the past, the Chinese now appear to be confident of arm-twisting Pakistanis to do their bidding. This is the reason why the Uyghur factor is not allowed to come in the way of bilateral ties and the controlled Chinese media is careful to not go public with its concerns. Instead, China has stepped up supply of arms and is helping upgrade Pakistan’s tank, weapons, UAV, and ammunition.
Chinese military presence on Pakistan soil is the next logical step. Both sides have already moved in that direction. Chinese military personnel are on various duties – one of them is flood relief, and another job is development works – in the disputed Gilgit- Baltistan region of Pakistan. G-B is officially not a province nor is it an autonomous pocket. Formerly known as Northern Areas, it is the present day bridge-head between China and Pakistan. Beijing believes that Chinese military presence in Pakistan would effectively counter the Uyghur separatists. Military presence in the federally administered tribal areas of Pakistan will help it to keep tabs on the militant groups holed up in the area. Already Chinese telephony companies have entered the area proving once again that every Chinese business deal brings with it a military advantage.
Interestingly, YOUVI is terrorism centric. Chinese side will like to learn first hand how Pakistan army is tackling its very own Islamic unrest. Both sides have staged four war games since 2004. – two in China and two in Pakistan but it is for the first time the exercises have been elevated to brigade level. The exercises, according to a Pakistan army spokesman, will help ‘mutual exchange of experience and information through a comprehensive training programme in real time’. The joint exercise will encompass techniques and procedures involved in low intensity conflict operations (LIC). So, as the Year 2011 comes to an end, Beijing will have the satisfaction of scoring one more strategic and diplomatic goal at the cost of the United States of America.
