【洛杉矶时报】Beijing urged to support Pakistan military

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Beijing urged to support Pakistan military
http://www.theage.com.au/world/beijing-urged-to-support-pakistan-military-20090525-bkqv.html
                                          
Paul Richter, Washington May 26, 2009

THE Obama Administration has appealed to China toprovide training and military equipment to help Pakistan counter agrowing militant threat.

The proposal is part of a push to enlist key allies of Pakistan to stabilise the country, US officials said.

The US is trying to persuade Pakistan to stepup efforts against militants, while supporting the fragile civilianGovernment and its tottering economy.

RichardHolbrooke, the Administration's special representative for Pakistan andAfghanistan, has visited China and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks as partof the effort.

The appeal underscores China's importance insecurity issues. Beijing traditionally has been reluctant to intervenein other countries' affairs. But Chinese officials are concerned aboutthe militant threat to its west, fearing it could destabilise theregion and threaten China's economic presence in Pakistan.

US officials believe China is skilled at counterinsurgency, a holdoverfrom the long civil war that led to the Communist victory in 1949. Andwith Beijing's strong military ties to Pakistan, US officials hopeChina could help craft a more sophisticated strategy than Pakistan'sheavy-handed approach.

The Pakistani military has usedartillery and aircraft against Taliban extremists in the Swat Valleyand surrounding areas. "They're very focused on hardware," a USofficial said. But the fighting has forced more than 2 millioncivilians to flee and UN officials fear a humanitarian crisis.

The tide of displaced persons could set off a backlash among ordinaryPakistanis, many of whom already see the fight as driven by American,rather than Pakistani, interests.

China's strategicalliance with Pakistan reaches back to the 1960s. China has soldPakistan billions of dollars worth of military equipment, includingmissiles, warships and tanks.

It also maintains a hugeeconomic presence in Pakistan. China's ambassador Luo Zhaohui said in aspeech earlier this month that 10,000 Chinese engineers and technicianswork in the country.

Beijing is increasingly concernedabout the Pakistani insurgency, in part because Muslim separatists fromits own north-western region have trained in Pakistani camps.

Officialsare also concerned at recurrent kidnappings and killings of Chineseworkers. China repeatedly has pressed Pakistan to protect its citizens.

Analystssay that the Pakistani Government launched an attack on militantscontrolling the Red Mosque in Islamabad in 2007 in part because ofpressure from China for the release of its workers, who had beenkidnapped by militants. More than 100 people died and Islamic militantssay it represented a turning point in their struggle.

Pakistan'sambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, acknowledged the long alliance,saying that "Chinese support and co-operation have been crucial forPakistan at many difficult times in our history".

InWashington, Lisa Curtis of the Heritage Foundation think tank said itwould be difficult to persuade China to assume any military role. Butshe said they were concerned about the spillover effects of theinsurgency.

"The Chinese may try to deal with thisprivately," she said. "They won't want to make any public statementsthat might embarrass the Pakistanis."

LOS ANGELES TIMES

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