Asia-Pacific

Zardari vows to promote China-Pak rail

By Ai Yang and OP Rana (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-10 06:50

A Pakistani military officer helps a Chinese officer pin a commemorative badge on her uniform at a special forces base in the Lanzhou military area on Friday, after the end of the China-Pakistan joint anti-terror military drill codenamed "Friendship-2010". [Photo/China Daily]

Beijing - Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari pledged on Friday to strengthen cooperation with China to promote a railroad connecting the two countries and said his country can be a "force multiplier" for China's development.

"Pakistan can offer road links to China," he told China Daily in Beijing.

The president said he is confident that both countries can benefit significantly from the rail link. "China is advanced in the rail field, so we can cooperate and develop together."

India has objected to the proposal as the railroad link passes through some of the disputed Gilgit-Baltistan region, which forms part of Azad Kashmir, or Pakistan Controlled Kashmir, according to RTT News.

Zardari, however, said China has acknowledged the concept and the two countries are working toward the direction.

During his four-day trip to Beijing, which kicked off on July 6, Zardari inked six deals with China in the fields of law, housing, agriculture and media cooperation.

"We want to learn and recreate your success," he said.

He also had a good word for the ongoing China-Pakistan anti-terror drill in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region. "We need more interaction to combat terrorism. It's a global phenomenon and we should fight it together.

"We are already in a fight against terrorists in our part of the border and we will cooperate with China And hopefully when we develop the region, the people who have been misguided will be guided back to work for (the) prosperity of Pakistan and China," Zardari said.

The president said his country would not only cooperate with China in the fight against the "three evil forces" - separatism, extremism and terrorism - but also share intelligence, adding Pakistan will take its "special relationship" with China to new levels.

"Even in the old days, we were helping each other in all fields ... when China was not such an economic engine for the growth of the world ... we took the responsibility of the world."

"The exercise (joint anti-terror drill) aims to improve our capability to deliver combined missions, and such joint exercises with neighboring countries will continue in the future," Commander Brigadier Li Fuhua, director of the Friendship-2010 Joint Drill was quoted as saying by the China National Radio.

"The China-Pakistan drill is a necessary preparation if there are joint cross-border missions in the future. The two armies will not necessarily fight on the same battlefield, but may cooperate with each other on their own territory across the border when fighting terrorists," said Ye Hailin, an Asian studies expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Such exercises have also provided hands-on experiences to the Chinese force, said Li Qinggong, deputy secretary-general of the China Council for National Security Policy Studies.

"Pakistan is on the frontline of the war on terror, and training with its soldiers will give us lots of practical insights into combating terrorism. Our cooperation with Pakistan is growing ever stronger," Li said.

With his daughters sitting beside him, Zardari said he wants to establish a strong relationship between Beijing and Islamabad and show the younger generation "who the friends are".

"I brought my two daughters with me to deliver the message to the third generation. My wife and I renewed the relationship started by my father-in-law, and now I want to leave this legacy for the coming generation."

War on terror

"There's always room for dialogues with those who are willing to give up violence," Zardari said of Pakistan's recent announcement to hold a national conference to discuss ways to combat terrorism.

The Islamic republic of 170 million people is on the frontline of the US war on terror.

Bordering Afghanistan, where 140,000 US-led foreign troops are trying to end a nine-year war, Pakistan has also suffered severe losses by bomb attacks and US drone strikes.

A recent surge in violence has emerged as US forces have begun a make-or-break campaign to drive the Taliban out of Kandahar, south of Kabul.

June was the deadliest month for the US and international forces, according to a tally by the Associated Press. The previous deadliest month for the multinational force was July 2009, and October 2009 for the US contingent.

"My advice to the Americans is consistency," Zardari said.

"The war in Afghanistan cannot be won by force," said Li from the China Council for National Security Policy Studies.

In his opinion, the only way to end the dispute is a trilateral agreement between the US, Afghanistan and the Taliban. "Pakistan, too, is in favor of such a solution. By saying they need consistency, Zardari probably means Washington should not abandon talks with the Taliban."

China Daily

(China Daily 07/10/2010 page3)