COMMUNISTS AND ISLAMISTS MAKE FOR STRANGE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 000646

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2029
TAGS: PREL KSCA PTER PARM ETRD PK AF CH
SUBJECT: COMMUNISTS AND ISLAMISTS MAKE FOR STRANGE
BEDFELLOWS

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. Reasons 1.
4 (B/D).


1. (C//REL ACGU) Summary: Some Chinese academic and
third-country diplomatic contacts believe the recent
memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Chinese
Communist Party (CCP) and major Pakistani Islamist political
party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) strengthens the Chinese position
in Xinjiang Province. In contrast, one academic viewed the
agreement as simply a gesture of "respect" to the Islamic
community in Pakistan. A Pakistan Embassy contact said JI's
strong organization made it a more attractive interlocutor to
the CCP than other Islamist political parties. End Summary.


2. (C//REL ACGU) Commenting on February 17 media reports of a
memorandum of understanding between the CCP and the Pakistani
Islamist party JI, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)
scholar Ye Hailin suggested to PolOff that, because
radicalized religious groups were suspicious of Chinese
interests in Pakistan and supported Xinjiang separatists,
China wanted to deal directly with JI, which had a strong
influence on these groups. The "maliks can help us very
much," he said.


3. (C//REL ACGU) Afghan Embassy First Secretary Mirwais Nab
separately concurred, telling PolOff on February 26 that the
CCP's agreement with JI both "legitimized Chinese sovereignty
over Xinjiang" and demonstrated that the Chinese no longer
believed they could rely on the Pakistan government (i.e.,
the Pakistan People's Party) alone to look after its
interests. Nab said that his FARSI-speaking interlocutors at
the CCP Central Committee International Liaison Department
(CCID) had told him that China would invest in projects in
JI-friendly areas in the FATA (Bajaur and Mohmand).


4. (C//REL ACGU) A Canadian Embassy officer told us March 11
that a CCP CCID official had told him that JI desired an MOU
with the CCP after hearing that Pakistan People's Party (PPP)
had signed an MOU during Pakistan President Zardari's first
official visit to China in 2008. However, in his view,
desire to build ties existed on both sides. The MOU
contained language recognizing Chinese territorial integrity.
The Canadian diplomat assessed the MOU as China's attempt
both to demonstrate the legitimacy of its sovereignty over
Xinjiang Province and to hedge its bets on the Pakistani
political scene.


5. (C//REL ACGU) Beijing University South Asia scholar Han
Hua gave a slightly different interpretation to the
agreement. She told PolOff on February 27 that the MOU,
rather than serving to establish Chinese legitimacy in
China's northwest region, simply reflected the CCP's desire
to show respect for Muslim culture and religion without
lending support to radicalized elements in Pakistan.


6. (C//REL ACGU) While not commenting on the objectives of
the MOU, Pakistan Embassy Counselor Shafqat Ali Khan
(strictly protect) suggested to us on February 27 that though
JI was not a part of the governing coalition, the CCP had
reached out to it because JI was the most organized of the
Islamic political parties, in contrast to more
loosely-structured parties such as Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam.
PICCUTA