Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s visit to China from Tuesday allows Islamabad to show it has another major power to turn to just as relations with the US have faced intense strain after the killing of Osama bin Laden. The visit is part of long-planned celebrations for 60 years of diplomatic ties but the vows of support from Beijing will be especially timely for Islamabad.
“We are proud to have China as our best and most trusted friend and China will always find Pakistan standing beside it at all times,” Gilani told China’s Xinhua news agency before leaving for China. “To test a friend whether true or not, it needs time and means under crisis,” he said.
“This visit will be a show for the US, the Pakistani public and the wider world that Pakistan has other options,” said Andrew Small, a researcher at the German Marshall Fund think tank in Brussels who has studied China’s role in Pakistan.
“There’s no impression that China could step into the United States’ shoes, but it’s a useful bargaining chip.” In Beijing, Gilani has no worry of any public upbraiding. But the government and military are too reliant on US security and economic aid – about $20 billion in the past 10 years – to risk that alliance.
Nor does Beijing want to wade into volatile Pakistani politics, risking its own interests and alienating India, a big but wary trade partner, said several observers.
