Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi shakes hand with State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad, Pakistan.
The Chinese government's top diplomat defended Beijing's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative during a visit to Pakistan on Saturday, rejecting criticism the project has saddled Pakistan with expensive debt.
State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Pakistan for a three-day visit in the first high-level meetings between the neighbours since new Prime Minister Imran Khan took office.
Beijing has pledged $57 billion in loans for Pakistan as part of its vast Belt and Road initiative, deepening ties at a time when Islamabad's relations with Washington are fraying over how to deal with militants waging war in Afghanistan.
The U.S. is treading a rocky path in South Asia, despite striking a conciliatory tone in recent visits by top American officials to India and Pakistan.The U.S. Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, who visited Pakistan earlier this week to “reset” the otherwise strained bilateral relations, tried to woo Islamabad to use its so-called influence to bring Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table in war-struck Afghanistan.In the second leg, Pompeo together with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis signed a much-delayed military communications agreement with India -- another sign of Washington’s longtime desire to contain China’s ambitions in Asia.US sends Iran messages 'every day' to begin negotiations: RouhaniThe agreement will allow New Delhi to receive military-grade communications equipment from Washington and permit the exchange of real-time encrypted information on platforms used by the two armed forces.The two top officials of Donald Trump’s administration downplayed areas of tension with India -- buying oil from Iran and a missile defense system from Russia -- ignoring repeated sanction warnings from the U.S.For many, revisiting of ties with Islamabad and downplaying areas of friction with India is not Washington’s choice but a “compulsion.”US cuts aid to hospitals in East JerusalemSpeaking to Anadolu Agency, Jere Van Dyk, a New York-based journalist and author of best seller "In Afghanistan: An American Odyssey" said: “The U.S. is concerned that Pakistan is becoming almost a satellite or a colony of China and the U.S., by drawing closer to India, is showing its displeasure.Dyk said the U.S. is also trying to extract itself from Afghanistan and needs Pakistan's help and wants to put pressure on it indirectly.“The U.S. feels closer in many ways to Pakistan, because of their shared role in containing Communist Soviet Union during the Cold War[…],” he added.According to Dyk, Washington will not be happy that India has purchased oil from Iran but is aware that China, Pakistan and India need oil and natural gas to fuel their growing economies which Russia and Iran have in abundance.US military to send 1,500 more soldiers to Germany by late 2020RetreatAbdul Khalique Ali, a Karachi-based political and security analyst, believes the U.S. is compelled to retreat from its previous stand on several issues relating to India and Pakistan.“The U.S is facing a multi-faceted imbroglio in Asia, which has compelled it to retreat from its previous stand on several issues,” Ali told Anadolu Agency.He was referring to Washington’s opposition to India’s oil imports from Iran and acquisition of S-400 missile defense system from Russia, and multi-billion dollars China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.US-led coalition stages war games in Syria“India is Trump’s one of the targets of recent trade tariffs, whereas, New Delhi has completely ignored the U.S. warnings against oil imports (from Iran) and growing defense cooperation with Russia,” he noted.“But despite all this, Washington desperately needs New Delhi to check rising China. That’s why it has to bear with India,” he observed.Similarly, Ali opined, the U.S had long been opposing the CPEC, and growing defense and economic cooperation between Pakistan and China. “But, since it (U.S) is running short of options in Afghanistan, it needs to reset ties with Pakistan,” he maintained.Brigadier Retired Mehmood Shah, an Islamabad-based security analyst, however, sees “lack of sincerity and substance” in Trump’s policies vis-à-vis Pakistan and Afghanistan.“Pakistan, in particular, cannot trust Trump because he is the most unbelievable person. He is using threatening language to bring every country at its knee but this behavior is pushing the U.S itself into trouble,” Shah said while speaking to Anadolu Agency.Pakistan, he opined, should take advantage of Trump’s hostile policies towards his allies.“Pakistan is currently not alone. He (Trump) has created issues with Turkey, Russia, China, Iran, Canada and many other countries simultaneously,” he noted. “Now this is the time for Pakistan to tell him we cannot do more.”AdjustmentShah observed that the U.S was facing isolation in the region, where all regional powers except India were against it.He was referring to Washington’s hawkish approach towards Russia, China, Turkey, and Iran.“Pakistan has recently signed several defense agreements with Russia and already have good relations with China. Therefore, in terms of its defense needs, Pakistan does not need America.”“But, I think, the increasing isolation in the region would push U.S. into more trouble in Afghanistan,” he maintained.Deepankar Banerji, a retired general and New Delhi-based security analyst, believes that the U.S has to “adjust” with India over the former’s relations with Iran and Russia.“Washington is certainly not happy with New Delhi’s growing relations with Iran and Russia, which are currently facing U.S. sanctions. But the question is what’s the alternative if America prevents India from signing agreements with Tehran and Moscow,” Banerji told Voice of America in an interview.“I do not think India will bow to this demand. I feel that the U.S has to adjust with India’s ties with Iran and Russia, which are longtime and historic”, he opined.Prof. Harrshvardhan Pant from Kings College London thinks that Trump administration has given a “strong message” to Islamabad by cutting its military aid that there will be no change in its policy despite the change of government in Pakistan.“This continuity can benefit India as Trump administration is not ready to give benefit of doubt to new Pakistani government”, Pant said.
US treads difficult path in South Asia
Whether China was overburdening Pakistan with debt has become a sore point for both nations, who both say the loans are sustainable, after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in July warned any potential International Monetary Fund bailout for Pakistan's troubled economy should not provide funds to pay off Chinese lenders.
Wang said the Pakistani portion of the Belt and Road initiative, known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has helped increase economic growth by 1-2 percent and has contributed 70,000 jobs.
"CPEC has not inflicted a debt burden on Pakistan, rather when these projects get completed and enter into operation, they will unleash huge economic benefits…and these will create considerable returns to the Pakistani economy," Wang said during a news conference in the capital Islamabad.
U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday in a renewed attempt to "reset bilateral relations", which have plummeted in recent years.Pompeo held meetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and army chief Gen. Qamar Bajwa, merely days after Washington blocked $300 million in military aid to Islamabad.Though Pompeo dubbed his visit as an effort to "reset relationship" between the two allies on the war against terrorism, analysts believe that his key agenda was to engage Pakistan's civilian and military leadership to help Washington in war-torn Afghanistan.They, however, do not expect a major breakthrough, considering U.S. President Donald Trump's recent actions against Pakistan, including aid cuts and Washington’s negative role in bringing Islamabad on the “gray list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international money-laundering watchdog.“I doubt Pompeo’s visit will yield any results because Pakistan cannot do what Washington wants it to do,” Hamid Mir, an Islamabad-based political analyst, and an expert on Afghan affairs told Anadolu Agency.Pakistan reassured the U.S. on Wednesday that it would use its influence to bring Taliban to the negotiating table in Afghanistan.Following talks with Pompeo, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said: “The U.S. wants Pakistan to play its role for negotiations and reconciliation in Afghanistan. This is what our policy and desire is. We want peace and stability in Afghanistan, and I have fully assured them in this regard.”The outcome of the meeting signal toward a thawing of frosty ties between the two allies on the war on terror.US expects India to buy energy products, aircraft to fix trade gap'Taliban influence a myth'Contesting the foreign minister's opinion, Mir, who was the last journalist to interview slain Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in 2001 in Afghanistan, said both sides were pursuing a "confused policy" in Afghanistan.“Pakistan must tell the truth that it no longer has any influence over Afghan Taliban. They no longer trust Islamabad. Similarly, the U.S on the one hand demands strict action against Taliban, while on the other, it also wants Islamabad to use its influence over them,” Mir said.He claimed that Islamabad gradually lost its influence over Taliban due to the death of several key leaders in custody of Pakistan's security agencies and other secret military operations against them on pressure from U.S.“This (influence) is just a myth. And Pakistan does not deny that," he said, adding that Taliban would come to the negotiating table on their own terms.“They did not listen to Saudi Arabia [for talks], why would they listen to Pakistan,” he said, referring to a recently held Riyadh-sponsored Ulema conference, which called upon the Taliban to lay arms and negotiate with Kabul for reconciliation. The call, however, was rejected by the Taliban.Professor Ijaz Khan, another Islamabad-based political analyst, agrees with Mir.“The U.S. has already sent a message to Pakistan before the secretary of state’s visit by cutting military aid. This simply means, he (Pompeo) is here not to mend ties but to bully Pakistan,” he told Anadolu Agency.“I don’t think Pakistan’s offer of using its influence over Taliban is something new. Pakistan will continue in that area as it had in the past. Additionally, Pakistan’s influence over Taliban is not unlimited," Khan added. Pakistan to help US bring Taliban to negotiating tableNew beginningMazhar Abbas, a Karachi-based political commentator, appears to be optimistic about Pompeo’s visit -- the first from any top U.S. official following elections and formation of a new government in Pakistan.“This is true that there will be no immediate breakthrough in the ongoing diplomatic deadlock but this will be equally wrong if we think Pompeo’s visit was a mere formality," he told Anadolu Agency.“It can be a new beginning because the U.S. itself has recognized that its arm-twisting tactics have not worked out," he added.In 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump's new policy for South Asia accused Pakistan of patronizing militants, a charge Islamabad denies.“Trump administration has shown flexibility in its initial stance towards Pakistan because it has failed to achieve its targets in Afghanistan without Islamabad’s cooperation,” Mushahid Hussain Syed, a senator and security analyst, observed.Islamabad had already agreed to initiate fresh efforts to bring Taliban back to negotiation following an ice-breaking visit of Pakistan's army chief to Kabul earlier this year. But a wave of Taliban attacks across Afghanistan ruined the development.Pakistan had brokered a landmark round of direct talks between the fragile Afghan government, and the Taliban in Islamabad in July 2015, but the process broke down after the Taliban announced the death of their longtime leader Mullah Omer, triggering a bitter power struggle within the militant group.Chances for resumption of the stalled process deteriorated further following death of Mullah Omer’s successor, Mullah Mansur in a U.S. drone strike last year in southwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border.Several attempts aimed at resuming the halted process have been made since July 2015 by a four-nation group comprising of Pakistan, Afghanistan, U.S. and China but they have all failed one after another.
Pompeo's Pakistan visit reeks of old rhetoric: analysts
Standing next to Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Wang said 47 percent of Pakistan's debt comes from the IMF and the Asian Development Bank.
Wang said 22 operational CPEC projects, of which nine have been completed, have triggered investment worth $19 billion so far. He also rejected concerns about transparency of CPEC by saying those worries were "false" as all the projects had undergone necessary approvals.
Qureshi said CPEC remains the "top priority" of the new government, adding that the two governments would focus on projects with socio-economic development.
Pakistan reassured the U.S. on Wednesday that it would use its influence to bring Taliban to the negotiating table in war-struck Afghanistan.“The U.S wants Pakistan to play its role for negotiations and reconciliation in Afghanistan. This is what our policy and desire is. We want peace and stability in Afghanistan, and I have fully assured them in this regard,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said at a news conference after a meeting with U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in capital Islamabad.Pompeo arrived in the capital for a one-day visit, shortly after the U.S. announced a military aid cut of $300 million to Pakistan. On Thursday, he will set out to India.“America will lead peace talks with the Taliban,” Qureshi added, pointing to a thawing of ties between the two allies on the war on terror.Video: Pompeo meets with Pakistan foreign minister in IslamabadThe two sides agreed that the present conditions in Afghanistan were conducive to intensifying efforts for a political settlement, said a statement from the Foreign Ministry after the meeting. Pompeo conveyed the U.S desire to work with Pakistan in furthering the shared objectives of peace and stability in Afghanistan, the statement added.In a tweet after the meeting Pompeo said: "In #Pakistan with my colleague friend CJCS Gen Joe Dunford. Today we met with PM @ImranKhanPTI FM Shah Mehmood Qureshi to discuss our diplomatic military to military relationship. @StateDept."U.S. army chief Gen. Joseph Dunford also accompanied the U.S. secretary of state.The Pakistani foreign minister observed that a lingering diplomatic deadlock between Pakistan and the U.S had been broken by Pompeo’s visit.“There had been a long deadlock in relations between the two sides. But the situation has totally changed in this meeting,” he said.Responding to a question regarding the aid cut, Qureshi said: "We do not have a give and take relation with the U.S. We are a sovereign nation, and we do not want to talk about money but about principles."He added that Pompeo had extended him an invitation to visit Washington, which he accepted.Advisor to newly-elected Pakistani premier resignsOther visitsEarlier on Wednesday, Pompeo met newly-elected Prime Minister Imran Khan and army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa.Khan said that his government's agenda was focused on human development and poverty alleviation for which peace and stability in the region was a pre-requisite. He underscored his commitment to peace with all neighbors, according to a statement released from the prime minister house.Pompeo conveyed the desire of the U.S. administration to work with Pakistan to achieve the common objectives of peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region, the statement added.
Pakistan to help US bring Taliban to negotiating table
"They will be considering projects that have a livelihood connection to them, that means job creation. He has spoken about initiatives in health and education, vocational training, how do we want to make our people more productive if they want to export," Qureshi said.
The two men did not mention whether China would give more loans to help Pakistan's current account crisis. Pakistan is battling a worsening balance of payments crisis that may push it to seek a fresh bailout from the IMF, though officials have not ruled out other options such as a bailout from China.
Wang will also call on Prime Minister Khan and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the foreign office said.
Wang's visit comes days after Pompeo's trip to Pakistan last week along with the U.S. chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, the first high-level U.S. visit to the new government, with the secretary of state saying he was hopeful for "a reset of relations" between the two countries.