Friends with money

Beijing has slapped Islamabad on the wrist, and the proverbial fan is splattered with you know what. That the Chinese have politely declined to bail Pakistan out of its economic mess should serve as a serious wake up call to the government.

Beijing has slapped Islamabad on the wrist, and the proverbial fan is splattered with you know what. That the Chinese have politely declined to bail Pakistan out of its economic mess should serve as a serious wake up call to the government. Indeed, Sino-Pak relations serve as good summary of what Pakistan has done, and is doing, that it ought not to.

At any other time, China8217;s offer to help Pakistan build two nuclear energy plants at the Chashma nuclear complex would be perceived as grand. The extra 680MW of electricity generated by these plants are much needed in a country where joining power riots is an acceptable way to spend an afternoon while distracting yourself from the fact that you haven8217;t had electricity for 17 hours. Moreover, the recent civilian nuclear cooperation deal signed between India and the US had Pakistanis in a tizzy, livid that their go-to superpower had shown a preference for the longtime rival instead. By signing a similar pact with China, Pakistan has not only made equitable investment in nuclear energy, but also reminded the US that it has alternative avenues through which to seek non-military aid.

But at a time when Pakistan is knocking on its 8216;friends8217; doors, seeking a 10 billion dollar bailout and turning to the IMF for help balancing payments, civilian nuclear cooperation doesn8217;t seem to cut it. Pakistanis have therefore been forced to ask themselves why China is not willing to go to bat for them. Firstly, China8217;s reluctance results from Pakistan8217;s inability to strategically manage its allies. After becoming president, Asif Zardari cancelled his scheduled first official visit to China in favour of swinging by Washington. At the time, pundits warned that the change of plan was a snub that the Chinese would not quickly forget. Editorials and expert opinions reminded the administration that taking China for granted while pandering to the US threatened the decades-old Sino-Pak alliance. Turns out they were right.

The fact is, China, with its two trillion dollars in cash reserves, is in no mood to play second fiddle. By shifting its focus toward the American agenda against terrorism, Pakistan has indicated that Sino-Pak relations are a second priority. The Chinese have responded in kind by offering a nuclear energy pact instead of a five-billion dollar cash infusion. So now, Zardari8217;s promise to visit China every three months from here on seems akin to someone paying frequent visits to an ailing grandmother in the hopes of snagging a bigger chunk of the inheritance. It also doesn8217;t help that the Pakistani record for aid dispensation has recently reached a new low. Allies are obviously hesitant to give cash handouts to a country that managed to squander 10 billion dollars in anti-terror aid from the US. Until Pakistan comprehensively battles corruption and sketches out proposals for aid accountability and regular deliverables, few other than the IMF will be willing to help.

More importantly, the government has failed to safeguard Chinese investments in Pakistan. Progress on Gwadar Port is halting, owing to poor security and internal politicking. China-sponsored infrastructure is regularly attacked by terrorists, and Chinese engineers are frequently kidnapped. Last week, a Chinese engineer taken hostage by the Taliban in August managed to escape from captivity, although his colleague didn8217;t make it. Many in China must be wondering why the Pakistan Army or intelligence agencies were not able to locate and penetrate a militant stronghold that was not secure enough to prevent a foreign, disoriented engineer from escaping. This is a small example of how Pakistan has failed to show its commitment to its long-standing ally.

Still, there is no danger of China abandoning Pakistan. The alliance is hardy enough to weather ups and downs. China and the US compete to exert influence in its northern and western regions 8212; the US for its war on terror, and China to use Pakistan especially the Gwadar Port 8212; as a thoroughfare to cheaply export goods from its western provinces.

Given these scenarios, Pakistan should think before accepting aid handouts from either. Financial dependency could mean a future sacrifice in terms of national sovereignty, and trade independence to the agendas of bigger powers. So perhaps China has proven to be a best friend to Pakistan by refusing to buy it off with a bailout.

The writer is a Karachi-based freelande journalist