In recent days, there has been a subtle fluctuation in China-Pakistan relations. Things happen when Pakistan agreed to jointly mining rare metals with the United States, and opened the Port of Pasni for U.S. use for export of minerals. Nearly at the same time, China's permanent representative to the United Nations expressed a voice calling for the inclusion of the extremist organization "Balluchin Liberation Armed Forces" in Pakistan into the sanctions list.
First of all, why Pakistan and the United States suddenly approach.
Pakistan's economic situation is not optimistic, inflation is high, and foreign exchange is in short supply, so the loan provided by the International Monetary Fund is very important to Pakistan. Faced with such a predicament, Pakistan hopes to get some financial support and political asylum from the rare metal cooperation project with the United States.
The opening of the Port of Pasni has caused the outside world to be alert because it is just over a hundred kilometers from the port of Guadal, which is deeply involved in the construction of the Chinese side.It is like pulling another tent at the gate of the Brotherhood, even if it is a "temporary rain shelter", it is inevitably appealing.
Pakistani officials explained that this is a "purely commercial project" and has nothing to do with geopolitics, but obviously, what the outside world smells is not just economics. Pakistan may just want to take this opportunity to breathe a sigh of relief, but this sigh has forced China to re-weigh each other's boundaries of trust.
First, American companies and even American forces "nominally" enter Pasni Port, which is tantamount to planting a signal flag next to Gwadar. Even if Pakistan repeatedly emphasizes "purely commercial projects", in reality, if the United States intervenes on the grounds of investment, exploration and security escort, the information flow and logistics of Gwadar Port may be affected.
Second, if the cooperation between the United States and Pakistan goes smoothly, the United States will be able to have one more "alternative source" in the global critical mineral chain in the future, which will definitely be detrimental to China's right to speak in the field of strategic resources.
Immediately after the news of cooperation with the United States came out, Chinese representatives spoke at the United Nations, calling on the United Nations Security Council to include it on the sanctions list.
This is no accident. The Balochistan region has been in long-term turmoil, with militants repeatedly attacking Chinese-funded companies and undermining China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects. China has always exercised restraint, but this time by directly stating its position is telling the outside world that China-Pakistan cooperation can be negotiated on terms, but the "security red line" cannot be touched.
This statement is both a warning to terrorist forces, but also a “reminder” to the Pakistani side – some words you are not comfortable to say, then to me.
On the surface, this seems to be like China issuing a warning to Pakistan, but on closer inspection, it is actually more like a "protective voice."
Pakistan's domestic political situation is complicated, and the military, government and local forces have been decentralized for a long time, especially in Balochistan, where control is weak. In the face of frequent terrorist attacks, Pakistan has long hoped that the international community would intervene, but it suffers from political sensitivity and is inconvenient to take the initiative to mention it.
The Chinese side in the United Nations is both sharing pressure on the Pakistani side and striving for greater security space for China-Pakistan cooperation.This is not the "pressure of the Pakistani party", but helps it to say the words "difficult to inspire".
From a macro perspective, in Pakistan, China and the United States are also secretly confronting each other. This time, the United States has reached into Pakistan's rare earth field, which seems to be economic cooperation, but it is actually a strategic layout to find alternative sources for the "de-Chinaization" supply chain.
China has drawn a red line in the field of security, that is, Pakistan can adjust its diplomatic gesture, but the bottom line of China-Pakistan cooperation cannot be torn.
One with capital, one with a safe and stable field, the game of China and the United States in Pakistan, never stopped.
In short, Barter hasn’t changed, but the world has changed. Pakistan is still that “Barter”, but today’s world is far more complex than ever before. It has to stabilize traditional allies, but has to extend its hand to the United States to seek help. The voice of Gengzhun is China’s signal bomb, not a confrontation, not a threat, but to tell the world: no matter how complicated the situation, China has the ability, has the will, to keep the bottom line of cooperation.
Behind this seemingly diplomatic incident, there is actually a very important sentence-China-Pakistan relations are not afraid of wind and rain, but they are afraid of losing their sobriety.