WASHINGTON: An official report released by US Department of Defence stated that the bilateral relations between Pakistan and China have emerged stronger after the former launched multi-billion dollar CPEC project under its ambitious OBOR initiative in the country.
The report also claimed that due to geo-strategic importance, China has likely considered locations for military logistics facilities in Pakistan and other countries. Pakistan is among a handful of countries where Beijing seeks to enhance both “bilateral and multilateral” engagements, the report also mentioned.
Report also mentionmed that in support of its national strategy, China is pursuing a range of goals through OBOR (One Belt One Road) to include strengthening its territorial integrity, increasing its energy security, and expanding its international influence.
Similarly, OBOR projects associated with pipelines and port construction in Pakistan intend to decrease China’s reliance on transporting energy resources through strategic choke points, such as the Strait of Malacca, read the report.
The report claimed that China continues to expand the Chinese military participation in bilateral and multilateral military exercises, normalizing its presence overseas and establishing ties to foreign militaries.
The US report went on to say that rise in bilateral and multilateral engagement with foreign militaries, including Russia, Pakistan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) can improve the Chinese Army’s ability to organize and manage combined operations that integrate foreign forces.
Chinese military is pressing to double its 200-plus nuclear warheads within a decade with the ability to launch them aboard ballistic missiles by land, sea and air, the report also mentioned.
It also reads that besides having eyes on technological parity with the United States, China Army is also focused on conducting joint operations, to be able to deter or defeat any US effort to intervene on Taiwan’s behalf.
Meanwhile, responding to the report, China’s defence ministry called the report “utterly wrong” and a misinterpretation of Beijing’s “defence policy and military strategy”.
The report “defamed China’s military modernization, defence expenditure, nuclear policy and other issues”, the ministry said in a statement.
