PAK-SINO RELATIONS: “HIGHER THAN THE HIMALAYAS, DEEPER THAN THE SEA”

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 009705

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2016
TAGS: CH IN PK PREL

SUBJECT: PAK-SINO RELATIONS: “HIGHER THAN THE HIMALAYAS, DEEPER THAN THE SEA”
ISLAMABAD 00009705 001.2 OF 002

Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, DSCG 05-01, January 2005, Edition 1, Reason: 1.4 (B,D)


1. (C) Summary. At a May 23 conference celebrating 55 years of Pakistan-China relations, Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz characterized the Sino-Pak relationship as a model bilateral relationship, in which both countries are committed to peaceful co-existence, sovereign equality, and non-interference in internal affairs. He emphasized the deep trust the two nations have for each other, and mentioned several areas of potential economic and military cooperation. His remarks on the Indo-U.S. relationship, however, provide insight into Pakistani insecurities that the U.S. values its relationship with India more than its GWOT partner, Pakistan. End summary.


2. (U) The conference, sponsored by the MFA-funded Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad (ISS),celebrated 55 years of Pakistan-China relations. The guest of honor, PM Shaukat Aziz, emphasized Pakistan's deep military and economic relationship with China and noted that the bilateral relationship is not based on “transient interests”, but is “higher than the Himalayas, deeper than the sea.” He cited the recent Pakistan-China Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Good Relations as an example of a relationship characterized by peaceful co-existence, sovereign equality, and non-interference in internal affairs. He also noted China's possible future assistance in space technology, which would give Pakistan an entry into space programs. The February 2005 defense agreement with China will continue, he said, with the joint production of JF-17 planes and tanks, as well as research and development programs that will “lay the groundwork for future cooperation.” Aziz praised growing Chinese investment in Pakistan, and thanked China for its assistance in constructing Gwadar port. He talked of upgrading the Karakoram Highway (KKH) to improve Sino-Pak trade, and without providing any detail, touched upon the prospect of constructing an oil pipeline from Gwadar to China. Notably absent in Aziz's comments was any mention of benefits from ongoing Sino-Pak free trade negotiations. After applauding China's assistance with the Chashma I and II nuclear reactors, Aziz emphasized that nuclear technology should be used for peaceful purposes. In a quick aside, he pointed out that a nation has the right to produce nuclear energy peacefully. (Note: This comment is a standard GOP talking point when discussing the current controversy over Iran's nuclear programs. End note.)


3. (U) In response to a journalist's provocative question on the new “unholy alliance” between the U.S. and India, PM Aziz emphasized that, “There is nothing evil in that (the U.S.-India relationship).” He further qualified his comment by reminding the audience that China's emergence as a player on the international arena has deepened the Indo-U.S. relationship. He referred to Newton's third law of motion -- every action has an equal and opposite reaction -- and explained a strong Sino-Pak relationship is a natural reaction to the Indo-U.S. relationship, and ended by reminding the audience that, “The best diplomacy is quiet diplomacy.”


4. (U) Aziz was then asked what major challenges he envisioned the Pak-Sino relationship facing in the next five to ten years. He responded that the challenge would lay in “creating new avenues and looking for new opportunities” for cooperation in the future. He mused that one-sided relationships do not last forever and that only a relationship that is mutually beneficial is sustainable. Pakistan and China must promote security -- not hegemony -- he said, and the two nations must work to strengthen the UN system in order to resolve conflicts.


5. (C) Comment: As the inaugural speaker, PM Aziz spoke, answered a few questions, and left the conference. He was not present when the discussion descended into openly anti-American rhetoric. Yet his inflated praise of the Sino-Pak relationship -- characterized as one based on trust, entrenched regional interests, and an off-limits attitude toward the other nation's internal affairs -- offered a mirror image of common Pakistani sentiments about the U.S.-Pakistan relationship. By emphasizing that the Pak-Sino relationship is built on a solid foundation, as opposed to “transient” interests, Aziz reflected an undercurrent of Pakistani insecurity that the U.S. is not fully committed to a long-term strategic partnership.


6. (C) Comment (con't): Aziz's comments aside, the conference should have been billed “Seminar on U.S.-Indian Perfidy.” While the Chinese panelists focused on historical examples of Sino-Pak cooperation (Pakistani facilitation of Henry Kissinger's 1971 trip to China was one example),Pakistani speakers stressed the need for a tight Pak-Sino relationship in light of a stronger U.S.-India relationship. (Note: Pakistani comments about this “new” U.S.-India relationship were so vitriolic that members of the audience repeatedly turned around in their chairs to gauge poloff's reaction.) For example, after a dramatic reading of the India, Pakistan, and China sections from the 2006 U.S. National Security Strategy, the ISS Chairman argued that the U.S.-India nuclear deal has effectively co-opted India into endorsing “the American strategic tenets of preemptive action, interference in internal affairs, and regime change” -- hardly the basis for a strategic U.S.-Pakistani partnership. End comment.
CROCKER