PRC/PAKISTAN: NO PLA BASE PLANNED, CCP PLAYING ALL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000380

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2035
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR CH PK AF IN XD
SUBJECT: PRC/PAKISTAN: NO PLA BASE PLANNED, CCP PLAYING ALL
SIDES WITH PARTY OUTREACH

Classified By: Deputy Political Section Chief Ben Moeling for reasons 1
.4 (b,d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Recent press speculation about PRC plans to
establish a military presence in Pakistan is completely
groundless, has been fanned by paranoid Indian news outlets
and can be traced back to a single op-ed by a Chinese
academic, according to Pakistan Embassy officials. The
Pakistani officials explained that increased party-party
exchanges between Pakistani national-level political parties
and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since President
Musharraf's 2008 resignation reflects the CCP's desire to
establish relationships across Pakistan's political spectrum.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi will visit China in late
February to maintain positive momentum in the development of
China-Pakistan relations. END SUMMARY.

No Plans for PRC Military Bases in Pakistan
--------------


2. (C) Recent Indian media reports of PRC plans to establish
a permanent military base in Pakistan amounted to groundless
speculation and reflected the depth of Indian paranoia about
China-Pakistan relations, Pakistan Embassy Counselor Shafqat
Ali Khan told PolOff February 10. Khan denied that the
governments of Pakistan and the PRC had ever discussed
establishing a permanent PRC military base in Pakistan and
said that such a possibility was "not even on the horizon."
The only impetus for the current wave of speculation was a
recent op-ed on the PRC's need to establish a stronger
overseas military presence by Fudan University professor Shen
Dingli, Khan explained, adding that Shen's article did not
even mention Pakistan by name. (Note: Shen published "Don't
Shun the Idea of Setting Up Overseas Military Bases" January
28 on china.org.cn, a government-affiliated website operated
under the auspices of the State Council Information Office.
End note.)


3. (C) Khan dismissed speculation that the PRC was motivated
by a desire for a permanent naval re-supply station in the
Indian Ocean in deciding to provide funding for the
development of the Gwadar Deep Sea Port. According to Khan,
the PRC originally offered a fixed amount of foreign
assistance and requested that Pakistan propose how the
assistance should be used. Through this process, Pakistan
requested PRC support for the development of the Gwadar port,
not vice versa. If the PRC's strategic objective was to
secure a supply hub for its navy, it could have achieved this
aim at much lower cost by requesting access to the existing
port in Karachi, Khan concluded.

CCP Covering Its Political Bases
--------------


4. (C) The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had sought to
establish party-party relationships with all Pakistan
national-level political organizations since Pervez
Musharraf's August 2008 resignation, Pakistan Embassy
Political Officer Zaman Mehdi told PolOff February 10.
Recent CCP overtures to parties such as Jamaat-i-Islami (JI),
the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan
People's Party (PPP) should be seen in this light. Mehdi
suggested that JI's leadership received the same treatment
from the CCP during their February 2009 visit as other
Pakistan political parties despite JI being an Islamist
party. The CCP bestowed special treatment on PML-N leader
Nawaz Sharif, Mehdi acknowledged, including meetings with
Vice President Xi Jinping, Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei and
an elaborate reception by the Guangdong Provincial Party
Secretary, but explained that such treatment derived from
Sharif's previous rank of Prime Minister, not from close CCP
ties to the PML-N. Mehdi said the CCP used Sharif's visit to
update him on the economic and social progress the PRC had
achieved in the 11 years since his last visit and to
introduce him to the PRC's "new generation of political
leaders." Khan noted that the timing of Sharif's visit to
Beijing was driven in part by the CCP's offer to provide
medical treatment to Sharif's wife, who Khan said had an
ongoing back ailment. Khan offered that Sharif's wife had
since left Beijing and returned to London for further medical
treatment.

PRC-Pakistan Relations Smooth
--------------


5. (C) Sino-Pakistan relations remained "smooth and steady,"
according to Khan, who added that both sides put great
emphasis on maintaining a healthy strategic and cooperative
partnership. Mehdi added that Pakistan Foreign Minister

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Qureshi planned to visit Beijing in late February to continue
the positive momentum in the relationship.
HUNTSMAN