China's latest offer to Pakistan will leave India fuming
China sees Pakistan as an important partner for keeping shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean safe. So, Beijing is excited to help Pakistan's military get more up-to-date by selling arms and helping with training and exchanges training, among other things. Girish Linganna reports
FollowChina wants to work more closely with Pakistan's Navy to grow its presence in the Indian Ocean to keep India in check, say analysts.
Analysts believe that because China is expected to help upgrade the Pakistani military by selling weapons and giving training, the move is also likely to anger India, which doesn't like Islamabad getting military help.
China's Defence Minister Li Shangfu told Pakistan's Chief of Naval Staff that their navies should "expand into new fields of cooperation" to make it easier for them to keep the area safe. Li met Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi on Monday in Beijing. He said that the relationship between their militaries was an important part of the two countries' connection.
The armies of the two countries should work together to protect the security of both countries and the region, Li told Niazi, according to the state news agency Xinhua. They should also open up new areas for exchange and cooperation.
Niazi said the Pakistan Navy was ready to work more closely with its Chinese counterpart to keep the area safe and stable.
Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission and the country's highest-ranking serviceman, had said a few days earlier that China was ready to work more closely with the Pakistani military and strengthen and broaden their cooperation.
Timothy Heath, a senior expert at the US think tank Rand Corporation, said that selling weapons would be a key way for the two countries to work together.
China sees Pakistan as an important partner for keeping shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean safe. So, Beijing is excited to help Pakistan's military get more up-to-date by selling arms and helping with training and exchanges, among other things. "In turn, Pakistan wants to update its navy, in part to scare off India," Heath said.
"Closer cooperation to help modernise the Pakistani navy will also allow the [Chinese] navy to increase its presence along the Indian Ocean and get easier access to key ports like Gwadar [in Pakistan]," the Chinese foreign minister said. This kind of naval teamwork will also help China keep India in check better."
China and India are fighting for power in the Indian Ocean, even though they are still fighting over their border in the Himalayas. China and India have had disagreements for a long time about many things along their 3,488 km (2,167 mile) border, which has not yet been marked. In 2020, border fights got so bad that people died, and the two sides are still trying to work out their differences through a series of armed talks.
Long Xingchun, the head of a think tank in China's Sichuan province called the Chengdu Institute of World Affairs, said that military cooperation between China and Pakistan would not directly affect India but would make New Delhi nervous.
"Although China will increase cooperation with the Pakistani navy, Beijing will not support a military confrontation between India and Pakistan, and the increased naval cooperation between China and Pakistan will not help China deter India in their border dispute, as these disputes occur on land and not at sea," said Long.
However, India opposes any nation pursuing military cooperation with Pakistan and has steadfastly opposed all arms shipments to Pakistan, whether from the United States or Russia. After Beijing enhances naval cooperation with Pakistan, it is anticipated that India will express dissatisfaction and opposition.
China has a long-standing and robust relationship with Pakistan, which is also a key partner in its Belt and Road Initiative.
China and Pakistan are good friends, good partners, and good siblings, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif last year during their meeting in Beijing.
In recent years, despite global changes and instability, the two countries have supported one another and forged ahead, demonstrating their unbreakable friendship."
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