Pakistan : The meeting between China and foreign ministers reveals new South Asian designs

Pakistan: In an effort to lessen India’s influence, Beijing and Islamabad are aggressively strengthening political, economic, and security relations with Afghanistan and Bangladesh, mostly via discussions and proposals to expand military and economic cooperation with the South Asian nations.

China has positioned itself as a convenor and mediator on Afghan problems, holding discussions and characterizing its involvement as collaboration in counterterrorism and rebuilding rather than zero-sum geopolitics.

According to a statement issued following the seventh round of the China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, “the two sides expressed readiness to continue leveraging the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue and the China-Bangladesh-Pakistan cooperation mechanism to deliver new outcomes.”

Following their January 3–5 meeting in Beijing for a conversation, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Pakistani counterpart, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, issued a joint statement that amply demonstrates their shared objective. China has now intervened, at the request of Islamabad, to attempt to persuade Pakistan and Afghanistan to cease hostilities, after direct and indirect actions by Turkey, Qatar, Iran, and other countries.

The joint communique stated, “The two sides (China-Pakistan) called for more visible and verifiable actions to dismantle and eliminate all terrorist organizations based in Afghanistan, which continue to pose serious threats to regional and global security, and prevent terrorist organizations from using the Afghan territory for terrorism against any other country and to endanger any other country.”

Kabul, on the other hand, strongly disputes that there are any terrorist organizations operating on its soil and asserts that strikes within Pakistan are an internal issue that should be handled by Islamabad. In a similar vein, China and Pakistan “expressed readiness to continue leveraging the China-Bangladesh-Pakistan cooperation mechanism and the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue to deliver new outcomes.”

As part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), they also decided to construct “an upgraded version 2.0 of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)” and “welcome third-party participation in CPEC cooperation that conforms with the modalities set by China and Pakistan.”

Plans to expand CPEC into Afghanistan have already been mentioned in reports; this would provide Kabul with substantial infrastructure and investment options in addition to India’s initiatives.

Large BRI projects have caused Islamabad to worry about project sustainability and growing foreign obligations, even though China and Pakistan present many loans as development funding.

In the meanwhile, China has expanded its presence in Bangladesh, a country that is unstable, via port improvements, military collaboration, and infrastructure. Countries who are in its line should learn from those that have fallen into or are in danger of sliding into a “China debt-trap.”

Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Djibouti, Laos, Montenegro, Kenya, Zambia, the Maldives, and Indonesia are some of these nations. The results vary depending on the project, the conditions of the contract, and the fiscal management of the nation.

Countries that take out substantial loans guaranteed by China find it difficult to pay them back, which gives Beijing strategic power. Some of these countries are clearly distressed, while others are striving to balance their finances.

A recent study on the “Future of India-Bangladesh Relationship” from India’s Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs has expressed alarm over Beijing’s “increasing presence” in the neighboring nation, citing its excursions.

It said that Jamaat-e-Islami officials’ travels to China “clearly indicate its broad engagement with various factions in Bangladesh, further solidifying its presence.”

“Concerned to know that China has built a submarine base at Pekua, capable of accommodating eight submarines when Bangladesh has only two,” the article said.

China seeks to establish itself in South Asia in order to create defense and surveillance facilities, as well as to have access to local resources and regional routes.

As a strategic depth goal, Pakistan aims to lessen India’s influence in Afghanistan and Bangladesh and develop ties with Kabul and Dhaka on its terms.

China would gain access to new markets and transportation routes if CPEC or other BRI projects were extended, while Pakistan would gain power via joint ventures. India has always focused on infrastructure development and humanitarian aid in Afghanistan without formally recognizing the Taliban government.

New Delhi’s counterterrorism efforts and regional strategic planning may be complicated by a Kabul that is allied with Pakistan.