Islamabad/Beijing, June 18 (IANS) Pakistan’s firm support for all of China’s efforts to achieve reunification with Taiwan, including “by every possible means”, is widely viewed as an alarming statement. While US President Donald Trump has repeatedly praised Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with Munir’s name frequently featuring in his remarks, Pakistan has simultaneously aligned itself completely with China and endorsed Beijing’s aggressive actions, undermining US interests in the Indo-Pacific region, a report has highlighted.
According to a report in the think tank Politeia Research Foundation, the joint statement issued by China and Pakistan following a high-level meeting in Beijing openly supported China’s position on the South China Sea, thereby legitimising Beijing’s coercive and expansionist actions in the region.
It noted that the development raises concerns not only for Taiwan but also for every country in the Indo-Pacific committed to a rules-based international order, freedom of navigation, and maintaining the balance of power in the region.
“As Washington deepens tactical engagement with Pakistan, Islamabad is simultaneously aligning itself more closely with China on Taiwan, the South China Sea, CPEC, and Beijing’s broader strategic vision. This growing China-Pakistan strategic convergence raises serious questions about America’s Indo-Pacific strategy and its long-term partnership with India,” the report detailed.
“The whole of America’s Indo-Pacific strategy is based on the principles of maintaining stability in the region, preserving the balance of power, ensuring freedom of navigation, and preventing any forcible change to Taiwan’s status quo,” it added.
The report cited one of the key paragraphs in the joint statement, stating, “Pakistan reaffirmed its strong commitment to the one-China principle and holds the view that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China, and the Taiwan question is at the core of China’s core interests.”
It further stressed the need for US officials to reassess their policy approach and the level of engagement with Pakistan, amid concerns that it is undermining the interests of their trusted strategic partner, India. At the same time, Pakistan is seen as puncturing the US Indo-Pacific strategy by aligning with China and endorsing Beijing’s “aggressive actions, belligerent behavior, and ambitions” regarding Taiwan.
The report highlighted that during his recent visit to India, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeatedly used the term “strategic alliance” across multiple engagements, including delegation-level talks, joint press briefings with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and public remarks. His comments were seen as signaling converging India-US long-term strategic interests and that Washington considers India as a “long-term strategic partner”, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.
Highlighting the wider implications of Washington’s engagements with Islamabad, the report warned, “The US must ensure that it is not shooting itself in the foot by undermining its own interests in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly regarding Taiwan, while at the same time weakening its partnership with India for the sake of Pakistan, whatever the reason may be.”
–IANS
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