China –Pakistan Relations

China–Pakistan relations began in 1950 when Pakistan was among the first countries to end official
diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (or Taiwan) and recognize the People's Republic of
China (PRC) government on Mainland China. Since then, both countries have placed considerable
importance on the maintenance of an extremely close and supportive special relationship and the two
countries have regularly exchanged high-level visits resulting in a variety of agreements. The PRC has
provided economic, military, and technical assistance to Pakistan, and each country considers the other
a close strategically

Bilateral relations have evolved from an initial Chinese policy of neutrality to a partnership with a
smaller but militarily powerful Pakistan. Diplomatic relations were established in 1950, boundaries

issues resolved in 1963, military assistance began in 1966, a strategic alliance was formed in 1972, and
economic co-operation began in 1979. China has become Pakistan's largest supplier of arms and its
third-largest trading partner. China has given Pakistan a loan of US$60 million which was later made a
grant after East Pakistan broke away. Recently, both nations have decided to cooperate in
improving Pakistan's civil nuclear power sector. Chinese cooperation with Pakistan has reached
economic high points, with substantial Chinese investment in Pakistani infrastructural expansion
including the Pakistani deep-water port at Gwadar. Both countries have an ongoing free trade
agreement.
According to China's custom statistics the bilateral trade volume for the calendar year 2017 crossed
the US 20 billion mark for the first time. In 2017 China's exports to Pakistan grew by 5.9% to reach
$18.25 billion whereas Pakistan's exports to China fell by 4.1% to $1.83 billion.
Pakistan has served as China's main bridge to the Islamic world, and also played an important role in
bridging the communication gap between the PRC and the West by facilitating U.S. President Richard
Nixon's historic 1972 visit to China. The relations between Pakistan and China have been described by
Pakistan's ambassador to China as "higher than the mountains, deeper than the oceans, stronger than
steel, dearer than eyesight, sweeter than honey, and so on. According to Stockholm International Peace
Research Institute, Pakistan is China's biggest arms buyer, counting for nearly 47% of Chinese arms
exports. According to a 2014 BBC World Service Poll, 75% of Pakistanis view China's influence positively
with only 15% expressing a negative view. In the Indo-Pacific region, Chinese people hold the third most
positive opinions of Pakistan's influence in the world, behind Indonesia and Pakistan itself.
IR scholars have observed that despite the PRC and Pakistan being "highly divergent societies and
polities with conflicting views on central global issues" the two states have nevertheless forged a
dynamic relationship over several decades – something which supports the idea that real
politcial motivates foreign policies in the international system. Amin writes that relations between China
and Pakistan:
"represents a striking and paradigmatic example of how state power considerations, rather than culture,
ideology, economic interest or composition of ruling elites, can determine foreign policy behavior – as
conceptualized by the neo-realist school of International Relations (IR) theory.
Diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China were established on 21 May 1951, shortly after
the Republic of China lost power in the Mainland in 1949.[27] While initially ambivalent towards the idea
of a Communist country on its borders, Pakistan hoped that China would serve as a counterweight to
Indian influence. India had recognized China a year before, and Indian Prime Minister Nehru also hoped
for closer relations with the Chinese. In 1956, Pakistani Prime Minister Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and
Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai signing the Treaty of Friendship Between China and Pakistan, marking closer
bilateral ties.
With escalating border tensions leading to the 1962 Sino-Indian war, China and Pakistan aligned with
each other in a joint effort to counter India and the Soviet Union as both have border disputes with
India. One year after China's border war with India, Pakistan ceded the Trans-Karakoram Tract to China
to end border disputes and improve diplomatic relations.
Since then, an informal alliance that initially began as mutual opposition towards India has grown into a
lasting relationship that has benefited both nations on the diplomatic, economic and military frontiers.
Along with diplomatic support, Pakistan served as a conduit for China to open up to the West. China has
in turn provided extensive economic aid and political support to Pakistan.
Since the two sides established their "all-weather diplomatic relations", there have been frequent
exchanges between the two countries' leadership and peoples. For example, former Chinese
Premier Zhou Enlai received warm welcomes in all of his four visits to Pakistan. When Zhou died in 1976,
then-Pakistani Ambassador to China rushed to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs at 8 in the
morning without appointment. Upon arriving at the ministry, the ambassador cried due to his grief in
front of Chinese diplomats. In 2004, a road in Pakistani capital Islamabad leading to the Diplomatic
Enclave was named "Zhou Enlai Road". It is the first road in Pakistan that is named after foreign leaders.
On 27 May 1976, then Chinese leader Mao Zedong, aged 83, received his last foreign guest Pakistani
president Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto despite his critical illness, 105 days before his death
 Pak –India Relations
Relations between India and Pakistan have been complex and largely hostile due to a number of
historical and political events. Relations between the two states have been defined by the
violent partition of British India in 1947 which started the Kashmir conflict, and the numerous military
conflicts fought between the two nations. Consequently, their relationship has been plagued by hostility
and suspicion. Northern India and Pakistan somewhat overlap in certain demographics and
shared lingua francas (mainly Punjabi, Sindhi, and Hindustani).
After the dissolution of the British Raj in 1947, two new sovereign nations were formed—the Dominion
of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The subsequent partition of the former British India displaced up
to 12.5 million people, with estimates of loss of life varying from several hundred thousand to 1
million.]India emerged as a secular nation with a Hindu majority population and a large Muslim minority,
while Pakistan, with a Muslim majority population and a large Hindu minority, later became an Islamic
Republic,[2] although its constitution guaranteed freedom of religion to people of all faiths.[3] It later lost
most of its Hindu minority due to migration and the separation of East Pakistan in the Bangladesh
Liberation War.
Soon after gaining their independence, India and Pakistan established diplomatic relations, but the
violent partition and reciprocal territorial claims quickly overshadowed their relationship. Since their
independence, the two countries have fought three major wars, as well as one undeclared war, and
have been involved in numerous armed skirmishes and military standoffs. The Kashmir conflict is the
main centre-point of all of these conflicts with the exception of the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 and
the Bangladesh Liberation War, which resulted in the secession of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
There have been numerous attempts to improve the relationship, notably the Shimla summit, the Agra
summit, and the Lahore summit. Since the early 1980s, relations between the two nations have grown
increasingly sour, particularly after the Siachen conflict, intensification of the Kashmir insurgency in
1989, Indian and Pakistani nuclear tests in 1998, and the 1999 Kargil War. Certain confidence-building
measures, such as the 2003 ceasefire agreement and the Delhi–Lahore Bus service, have been successful
in de-escalating tensions. However, these efforts have been impeded by periodic terrorist attacks.
The 2001 Indian Parliament attack brought the two nations to the brink of a nuclear war. The 2007
Samjhauta Express bombings, which killed 68 civilians (most of whom were Pakistani), was also a crucial
turning point in relations. Additionally, the 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out by Pakistani militants
resulted in a severe blow to the ongoing India–Pakistan peace talks.