China is conveying mixed signals in its response to the surging tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, a small town in the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Although Pakistan denies any knowledge of the brutal attack that killed 26 Indian people and injured 20 others, Indian media claims that forces affiliated with the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba were responsible.
Initially, China signaled a more moderate response, calling for both sides to “exercise restraint and meet each other halfway to de-escalate tensions.“
Beijing also called for an “impartial investigation,” further bolstering the sense that China was seeking to remain somewhat neutral in its response to avoid alienating the Indian government, given the enormous progress the two countries have made over the past year in repairing their strained diplomatic relationship.
But that tone changed over the past few days as Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, met with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday followed by President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday, when he unambiguously reaffirmed Beijing’s support for Islamabad in the crisis — characterizing the relationship between the two countries as that of “iron brothers.“
That sentiment was further reinforced over the weekend when Chinese commentator Victor Gao, one of only a few Chinese analysts authorized to speak to the international media, appeared on Indian national TV to convey a stark warning:
“China and Pakistan are all-weather, iron-clad allies. No one should second-guess this alliance between China and Pakistan. China will always come to Pakistan’s help and assistance whenever Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity will be threatened by any country.”
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? We should take Gao’s blunt warning at face value, as his positions are well-known to be fully aligned with those of the Chinese government. His sentiments also echo the messaging coming from the Jiang meetings with the President and Prime Minister.
So, while Beijing will ostensibly call for calm between the two sides and try to convey a minimal sense of neutrality between India and Pakistan, utlimately, the relationship with Islamabad is simply too deep and too important to abandon at this time — even if it means sacrificing the progress made with New Delhi over the past year.
