Recently, Pakistan and the United States have been very active in their interactions. Since January this year, senior Pakistani officials have visited the White House multiple times. Just recently, the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Chief of Army Staff of the country were warmly received by the White House.

【Pakistan proposes to the US to build a new port near Gwadar Port】

According to the press release from the White House, during this visit, the US and Pakistan discussed counter-terrorism cooperation and bilateral investment, and finalized several trade agreements. The US also promised to invest $500 million in mineral development in Pakistan.

However, what caught the most attention was not these, but a proposal from Pakistan to the US for a new deep-water port along the Arabian Sea coast at Pasni.

The name Pasni may be unfamiliar to many. It is a port town in the Gwadar district of Balochistan province, about 100 miles from the Iranian border, and more importantly, it is only 70 miles away from Gwadar Port.

It should be noted that Gwadar Port is the core of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is a strategic pivot for China to enter the Indian Ocean and connect the Belt and Road Initiative, with extremely high strategic value. Now Pakistan is turning to the US, proposing to build a new port on the Arabian Sea, which is equivalent to planting an unpredictable bomb near China's core project.

【Gwadar Port is very important to China】

If the US successfully builds this port, it will inevitably position the new port as a tool to contain China, which can both geographically constrain the Belt and Road Initiative and strategically counterbalance China's presence in the Indian Ocean. In the future, the US military might increase its military presence in the region under the pretext of "counter-terrorism" or "anti-piracy", posing a significant security threat to Chinese ports.

For decades, Pakistan has been called "the closest friend of China" by the outside world. From military to economy, from security to diplomacy, China and Pakistan are almost "sharing the same fate and happiness". Why would Pakistan, knowing the importance of Gwadar Port to China, still insist on "inviting the wolf into the house"?

The logic behind this is actually not complicated. It's simply that Pakistan wants to increase its own leverage. In recent years, Pakistan's economy has been in deep trouble, with heavy foreign debt and a sharp depreciation of the currency. Even though China has continuously provided aid and investment in recent years, it is still insufficient to fill Pakistan's huge fiscal gap.

In this context, Pakistan urgently needs to introduce more sources of funding, and the US is a potential "investor". For Pakistan, if it can bring the US in, it can create an atmosphere of "Sino-US competition", thus elevating its own status, and bargaining for more investment and aid from China, while also proving its "value" to the US.

【Pakistan intends to use the US to bargain with China】

In other words, Pakistan is playing a "two-sided card", telling China: "You are not my only choice"; and telling the US: "I can help you contain China."

Pakistan's move is not unexpected. However, it should be noted that Pakistan does not really want to "turn against" China; rather, they are more likely to use this to negotiate with China. After all, Pakistan's current economy and security are still highly dependent on China. Moreover, China's years of investment in Pakistan cannot be quickly replicated by the US.

Therefore, for China, what we need to do is maintain strategic composure, neither being forced to pay a higher price by Pakistan, nor releasing goodwill appropriately to prevent the US from taking advantage. At the same time, we must further strengthen cooperation with Gulf countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. In this way, even if Pasni eventually falls into American hands in the future, China can still diversify risks through a "multi-point layout".

Looking back, the term "Batie" (meaning "close friend") has carried the brotherly friendship between China and Pakistan for decades. But international relations are never romantic, they are realistic. Pakistan's actions once again show us that there is no eternal "Batie", only eternal interests. Even the closest partners may have their own plans when driven by interests.

But we need to remind Pakistan that this move may seem "clever", but if they bet everything on the US, they may end up "losing the port and losing trust" in the end.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7557248417739637267/

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