The visit of Pakistan’s President Imran Khan to China, in the teeth of Islamabad and Beijing’s strong opposition to India’s decision to dilute Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, has added another twist to the upcoming visit to India and Nepal of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Analysts say the special relationship between Islamabad and Beijing, forged during the Cold War to balance ties between India and the former Soviet Union, will be in focus when Mr. Khan and the Chinese leadership discuss, in all likelihood, the next steps of their collaboration — on Kashmir, Afghanistan and the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The Pakistani President, facing a volatile situation at home highlighted by a proposed massive march led by religious leader Maulana Fazlur Rahman against his administration, is expected to meet Mr. Xi after he arrives here on Monday.
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“There is apprehension that the Pakistani leadership could be seeking China’s endorsement for actions that could divert attention from the internal instability in Pakistan,” an academic who did not wish to be named told
The Pakistani daily Dawn had earlier reported that, “ It has been learnt that most of CPEC-related projects have stalled due to certain reasons, including prevailing financial crunch confronting the government and ‘non-cooperation’ of the bureaucracy…” .
Ahead of President Xi’s visit, the Chinese and the Indian side appear to be pursing two divergent narratives on the upcoming talks. The Chinese Foreign Ministry is signalling that Beijing is not interested in raking up Kashmir during President Xi’s visit to Mamallapuram near Chennai that starts on October 11, though an official announcement about the second informal summit, as a follow up to last year’s Wuhan meeting, is yet to be made.
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“I think for those things like Kashmir, I don’t think it will be a major topic occupying the talks, that is my understanding,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had said on September 17, during an interaction with media from Asia and Africa, undergoing an 11-month training course in China.
Despite the attempt to shift focus from Kashmir, The Hindu has authoritatively learnt that India had politely declined China’s proposal at the Bishkek summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in June to play a role to ease India-Pakistan tensions on Kashmir. Similarly, Prime Minister Modi had declined the possibility of U.S. mediation by the Trump administration during his recent visit to Houston and Washington.
Observers point out that India has already signalled displeasure on Beijing’s support to Pakistan in the United Nations on Kashmir by not going ahead with the scheduled boundary talks earlier this month, and subsequently raising the level of the meeting of the Quad members — India, Japan, Australia and the U.S. — from the official to the foreign ministerial level.
During preparations to President Xi’s visit, the Chinese side has expressed concern about India’s perception about its role in the Quad and the so-called Indo-Pacific strategy, seen in Beijing as Washington’s attempt to contain China with the help of its friends and allies.
Reports in the Indian media suggest that China are upset by Him Vijay — ongoing military exercise of the Army strike corps in Arunachal Pradesh.
Ahead of Mr. Xi’s visit, South China Morning Post has reported that the Chinese President is expected to emphasise economic and people-to-people ties in South Asia and play down ongoing regional tensions during his tour of the region.