Chinese Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan's tri-nation goodwill tour started with Pakistan on March 22, 2004 and ended with Thailand, with an in-between five-day visit to India from March 26 to 30. General Cao, also a state councilor and the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (the supreme leading organ that directs and controls the armed forces of the People's Republic of China) visited the three countries at the invitation of his counterparts, Rao Sikander Iqbal, George Fernandes and Chettha Thanajaro, the Defence Minister's of Pakistan, India and Thailand respectively.
Defence Minister Cao's visit to India reflects the gradual strengthening of relations between India and China. However, the Defence Minster's tri-nation tour should be seen in the context of the importance China attaches to consolidating military ties with foreign countries on a far wider canvas than ever before. General Cao's visit has to be seen in the larger context of China's effort to include military ties in its fast-expanding network of political and diplomatic relations. Military-to-military contact, increased transparency in military relations, joint training programmes and exercises are part of China's endeavour to increase bilateral cooperation with other countries, particularly its neighbours.
Although increasing economic, political and military power remain on top of China's agenda, it is important to note that China's active participation in the international and regional security debates is representative of what has been called China's 'new diplomacy'. China's role in the North Korean nuclear talks, its active role in strengthening tighter non-proliferation measures, its more levelheaded handling of Taiwan's elections are evidence of China's emergence as a pragmatic player in the international arena.
China's military-to-military exchanges represent an extension of its 'new diplomacy'. According to James Mulvenon, Deputy Director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Policy at RAND, the Chinese Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan is one of the most cosmopolitan and well-travelled of China's military leaders. The Communist party's official mouthpiece, the People's Daily reported on March 23, 2004 that China's growing emphasis on military diplomacy is a reflection of the processes of reform and opening up of China's economic, political and military edifice. To this end, for the first time China took part in joint naval exercises with Pakistan and India in late 2003 and with France in early March 2004. China has also held joint anti-terrorist exercises with members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and has been carrying out frequent joint military exercises with armies of other countries. Thus, on March 16, 2004, during the eighth round of Sino-Russian military consultations in Beijing, the People's Daily reported that "both countries agreed developing friendly cooperative ties of the two armies is an important component of the strategic partnership." General Cao's visit to the US in October 2003 also points to the growing significance of joint military training and military exchanges. China is keen on projecting itself as a responsible nuclear and military power, especially in the context of supra-national threats arising from global terror, narcotics and arms smuggling.
The Chinese Defence Minister's visit assumes importance for India as it comes almost a decade after Defence Minister Chi Haotian's visit to India in 1994. Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes's visit to China in April 2003 and the joint search and rescue operations carried out by the Chinese and India navies in the East China Sea in November 2003 indicate growing military-to military contact. The recent Defence Ministerial-level dialogue carried forward the decision to step up military exchanges and hold counter-terrorism dialogue agreed to in April 2003 to include increased friendly interaction between personnel posted at the Line of Actual Control and grant observer status during military exercises. The People's Daily quoted Defence Minister Cao's comments on Sino-Indian relations in its March 22, 2004 report, "The bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various areas are in the interests of the two countries as well as the two peoples and that China attaches great importance to the constructive cooperative partnership with India, and is willing to promote the bilateral relations to a new high". During Cao's talks with Fernandes, the Chinese Defence Minister stressed the need to be farsighted, to take account of the long-term and strategic benefits of both countries and that military exchange is a constituent part of the bilateral relations. The border issue fell outside the scope of the talks, the two sides agreed to implement measures to build "familiarity, trust and confidence," according to an official statement.
At the same time, in keeping with China's traditional alliance with Pakistan, Defence Minister Cao's tour began with Pakistan, thus underlining the long-standing strategic partnership that Pakistan and China enjoy. In Pakistan, Defence Minister Cao spoke of the need to enhance and strengthen relations in all areas with the three services. Apart from offering a $12 million interest-free loan, both Pakistan and China emphasised the continuous growth in Sino-Pakistani relations despite a fast-changing international situation. General Cao stated that "the Chinese government appreciates Pakistan's unswerving support in international affairs and China is ready to further deepen the bilateral cooperation with Pakistan in various fields, so as to inject new vitality into bilateral friendly relations." Cao also commented on the latest India-Pakistan peace process, saying "China welcomes and supports it," adding that China, as a neighboring country, hopes the two sides solve their differences through dialogue and push forward their relations to contribute to the regional peace and development.
Defence Minister Cao's visit to Pakistan is a reminder of China's extensive involvement in every aspect of Pakistan's economic, military and nuclear development, including the construction of the Gwadar port, Saindak Copper Project, heavy industries projects, Chashma-2 and China's interests in Baluchistan. In November 2003, both China and Pakistan agreed to continue joint aviation projects and the development of the JF-17 was a clear indication of this growing cooperation. Also, according to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), the 300-megawatt Chashma-2 nuclear power plant is expected to start soon, as reported by the Daily Times on February 16, 2004.
India and China have moved far beyond the mutual hostility that marked the better part of the last 50 years - trade between the two nations has soared to $7.6 billion and is expected to rise to $ 10 billion by 2004. Although China's long-standing and deep-rooted relationship with Pakistan is unlikely to change, since 1988 China has adopted a neutral position on India-Pakistan issues, including Kashmir. China has called upon its two South Asian neighbours to resolve their differences through peaceful means. During the Kargil War in 1999, China's stand remained neutral.
In this context, Sino-Indian relations have witnessed a steady improvement and the two have made concerted efforts to normalise their relations and settle their disputes in a gradual manner.
China remains Pakistan's chief strategic partner in the region. The trust and mutuality that has been established between Pakistan and China over the last 50 years made it necessary for Pakistan's Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali to expressly declare that the United States' decision to name Pakistan a major non-NATO ally was to have "no effect on our time-tested friendship and relationship with China". Despite the increasing presence of the US in South Asia, it is likely that Pakistan and China will continue to nurse special relations vis-à-vis each other. For China too, Pakistan is an important strategic ally, especially for the support that Pakistan can provide in hemming in Xinjiang-based terrorism. In December 2003, the Pakistan army helped kill one of China's most wanted terrorists, Hahsan Mahsum, the leader of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.
In the context of South Asia, China will no doubt have to juggle its growing cooperation with India and its long-standing partnership with Pakistan. China's 'new diplomacy' has undoubtedly brought with it new contradictions and challenges.
China has normalised its relations with countries that it had been locked in conflict with for decades. Importance of diplomatic, economic and now military-to-military contacts with an increasing number of countries is progressively becoming an important part of the conduct of China's more open, flexible and cooperative foreign policy.
* Views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Observer Research Foundation
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