PRC/PAKISTAN: PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF'S VISIT TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 004020

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/03/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV CH
SUBJECT: PRC/PAKISTAN: PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF'S VISIT TO
BEIJING

REF: OSC CPP20060221332013

Classified By: Political External Unit Chief Edgard
Kagan. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).


1. (C) Summary: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's
February 19-23 visit to China appears to have gone
predictably well, with no real surprises other than a
strong push to join the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization as a full member. The largely pro-forma
MFA readout called the trip a success and highlighted
the meeting between Musharraf and President Hu Jintao
as particularly productive. Beyond the Joint
Statement signed by the two countries, the other
bilateral documents trumpeted by the PRC press are
only agreements in principle. Pakistan asked Beijing
to increase pressure on India to take positive steps
towards resolving the Kashmir crisis. The MFA briefer
said China maintains a positive attitude towards
Pakistan's participation in the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO). A Pakistan Embassy officer said
Musharraf's goal was to raise Pakistan-China relations
to a new level and that Pakistan is particularly
interested in benefiting from PRC policies to support
economic growth in China's western provinces. The
officer stressed Pakistani interest in joining the SCO
as a full member as soon as possible, claiming that
Pakistan views the SCO as the most important regional
organization in which it participates. He also said
that Pakistan will never be able to trust India and
must rely on its "good friends" to keep India in
check. Preparations are underway for President Hu to
visit Pakistan. End Summary.

MFA Briefing on Musharraf's Visit
--------------


2. (C) President Musharraf and President Hu Jintao had
very productive meetings that promoted the overall
development of friendly relations between their two
countries, stated MFA Asian Department Deputy Director
for Pakistan Affairs Ms. Wang Lixin. Wang provided a
readout of the visit on February 27 to Poloff and a
South Korean Embassy officer. The briefing hewed
closely to official Chinese press coverage of the
visit, and recapped the Joint Statement the two
leaders signed (ref). Wang stated that Musharraf's
visit kicked off a year of activities celebrating the
55th anniversary of diplomatic relations. When asked
about future plans or whether or not Hu would visit
Pakistan, Wang replied that no decisions had been
made. Wang said that in every meeting President
Musharraf emphasized that Pakistan and China should
work together to expand economic cooperation and
should strive to improve people to people contact. He
also repeatedly extended condolences for the three
Chinese engineers killed in a terrorist attack in
Balochistan in February. The two countries signed 13
bilateral agreements, but when pressed for details,
Wang admitted that the documents only represent
agreements on general principles.


3. (C) Wang said Musharraf raised the Kashmir issue
with Hu, expressing concern that the militants are
gaining strength and that the "world is losing the
opportunity" to end this dispute. Musharraf
reportedly asked Beijing to increase pressure on India
to take positive steps towards resolving the dispute.


4. (C) Musharraf thanked the PRC for its support of
Islamabad's participation in the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) as an observer, according to Wang.
Pakistan wants full membership in the SCO as soon as
possible. China holds a positive attitude toward
Pakistan's participation in the SCO, but according to
Wang China must adhere to and abide by the SCO Charter
as well as respect the opinions of the other SCO
members. Hu Jintao extended an invitation to
Musharraf to attend the SCO Summit in mid-June.

Pakistan Diplomat's Perspective
--------------


5. (C) The goal of President Musharraf's visit to
Beijing was to raise Pakistan-China relations to a new
level of cooperation, according to Pakistan Embassy
officer S. Naveed Safdar Bokhari who participated in
Musharraf's meetings. In a March 2 meeting with

BEIJING 00004020 002 OF 002


poloff, Bokhari said the overall Pakistan-China
relationship is developing well. According to Bokhari,
Pakistan hopes to benefit from China's domestic
economic policy to promote economic growth in its
western provinces and that Musharraf urged cooperation
in repairing and expanding the Karakoram highway.
Bokhari argued that Pakistan can never trust India
even though he acknowledged that relations are
beginning to thaw. Pakistan still relies on its "good
friends" to keep India in check, according to Bokhari.


6. (C) Bokhari stated that Pakistan considers the SCO
to be the most important regional organization it
participates in and places greater value on it than
the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC). He characterized the SAARC as a stagnant
organization while claiming that the SCO is an
association that includes some of the world's major
powers. Through its participation in the SCO,
Pakistan has been able to revive its bilateral
relationship with Russia, according to Bokhari.
Pakistan understands that the SCO Charter must be
amended before new members can join the organization
but is hopeful that progress will be made at the mid-
June Summit. Bokhari confirmed that Hu Jintao
personally invited Musharraf to attend the Summit and
said that either Musharraf or the Prime Minister will
attend.


7. (C) Musharaff reiterated Pakistan's standing
invitation to Hu Jintao to visit Pakistan. Bokhari
claims that preparations are underway and that
Pakistani Embassy officials have met with their MFA
counterparts to discuss a Hu visit.
Sedney