Daily Times

In an important policy statement, US Secretary of State Rex Tillersonhas stated that his country will preferto work with India to counter Chinese influence in the Asia-Pacific region. This was certainly a clear message to Beijing.The development came on the same day Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the Communist Party of China’s Congress.

However, there is nothing in Tillerson’s statement that can be viewed as a departure from the recent US positions. It has favoured a role for India in regional affairs but that is hardly surprising. The situation may warrant concerns in Pakistani diplomatic circles about India’s increased influence in Washington, but these concerns need not be overstated.

Firstly, US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing next month, meaning that Tillerson’s statement reflects more on the caution with which Washington is approaching Beijing’s rising influence rather than outright belligerence.

Secondly, Pakistan and China are well on their way to strengthening mutual cooperation through the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Both countries are engaged in various trade pacts and the current relations between have been described by both governments as a milestone in strategic cooperation.

This puts Pakistan in a rather favourable position to play a conducive role in bridging the trust deficit between China and the US. Pakistan will need to keep its relations with the two neighbours – Afghanistan to its west and India to its east – cordial to be able to play this role.

This role will in no way affect Pakistan’s ability to raise voice about its legitimate concerns. Rather, by cooperating for stability and peace in Afghanistan and by highlighting economic dividends to all regional actors from Chinese designs, Pakistan’s voice on its legitimate concerns will only become more effective.

Pakistan must not get too embroiled in bilateral ties of any of these actors at the cost of its own economic interests. And the best way for Pakistan to secure these interests is to play the role of a bridge between US and China as effectively as it can, while keeping ties with India and Afghanistan cordial.  *

Published in Daily Times, October 22^nd 2017.