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08 January 2007
Foreign friends - China expands relations with India and Pakistan
By Richard D Fisher Jr A contingent of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Special Forces troops from the Chengdu Military Region deployed to Pakistan for the Friendship 2006 counter-terrorism exercises from 10-18 December 2006. While Pakistan and China share a perceived threat from Islamic non-state violence, and despite the counter-terrorism nature of the exercises, the small Friendship 2006 does not appear to be primarily designed to actually help prosecute counter-terrorist policies. Rather, the real impact of the exercises is political. Friendship 2006 followed up on Chinese President Hu Jintao's November 2006 visit to India and Pakistan, where he tried to balance and expand relations with both rivals. China's main strategic partner remains Pakistan: Beijing remains responsible for much of the technology in its nuclear capabilities, as well as significant weapons in Pakistan's army, air force and navy. For China, decelerating or neutralising India's growing alliance with Washington is the greater goal. Improbably, it hopes to do this while sustaining its strategic relationship with Pakistan, which has a leading role in the Islamic world. Both would advance China's objectives for Central Asia, which include securing access to energy sources and creating overland rail, road and pipeline routes to reduce reliance on vulnerable sea lanes through the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. 205 of 1,326 words © 2006 Jane's Information Group [End of non-subscriber extract] Customers with a paid subscription to Jane's Intelligence Review can access the full article here If you would like to subscribe, please see our products section for more information and pricing on Intelligence Review |
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