Pakistan did not have good relations with its neighbors, but it became China's "Pakistan Railway", a title that has been circulating among people since early times to express the friendly relations between Pakistan and China. China and Pakistan maintain an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, which means that no matter how the domestic situation in Pakistan changes and how the international situation evolves, the friendship between the two countries will not be affected. Some people even refer to China-Pakistan relations as "friendship flowing with milk and honey," which reflects the particularity and incomparable importance of China-Pakistan friendship.
However, many people may not be clear about how the friendship between China and Pakistan came about. In fact, the origins of this friendship are quite complex and have a long history. In order to truly understand the causes and significance of China-Pakistan friendship, we must go deep into the national conditions and background of Pakistan.
Pakistan is located in the northwest of the South Asian subcontinent, facing the Arabian Sea to the south, with a coastline of 980 kilometers. It is bordered by India to the east, China to the northeast, Afghanistan to the northwest, and Iran to the west. Originally part of British India, Pakistan became an autonomous province of the British Commonwealth on 14 August 1947 when India and Pakistan were partitioned. Subsequently, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was proclaimed on 23 March 1956. Pakistan has a total land area of 880,254 square kilometers, including the Pakistani-administered Kashmir region, with a population of about 2200 million.
Pakistan's topography is high in the north and low in the south, with tall mountains in the north, including the Himalayas, the Karakoram and the Hindu Kush. Three-fifths of the territory is mountainous and hilly, with plains in the central and southern parts of the country, and deserts along the southern coast. Due to its strategic location and proximity to the Indian Ocean, Pakistan is well connected by sea.
Pakistan is a developing country with a fast-growing economy, with a GDP of 3,125 in 2018$700 million, with a per capita GDP of $1,472. Pakistan's relationship with China can be traced back to the founding of the People's Republic of China, when the People's Republic of China was just established in 1949, and the United States and other countries did not recognize China. However, not only did Pakistan not join this camp, but also quickly recognized the legitimate status of New China. Although Sino-Pakistani relations were limited at the time, Pakistan's move attracted the attention of the Chinese side.
At that time, the United States urgently needed to find a fulcrum in South Asia, and set its sights on India and Pakistan. While India is not interested in an alliance with the United States, Pakistan has shown a keen interest in it. As a result, the two countries launched a series of exchanges and interactions. At that time, the United States provided a large amount of aid to Pakistan, which may have been mistaken into believing that its friendship with the United States would last. Over time, however, the United States began to draw closer to India, and Pakistan's relations with its neighbors became more strained. Pakistan began to feel frustrated by growing hostility with India and the failure of the United States to provide Pakistan with the assistance it needed in Kashmir. Against this backdrop, Pakistan turned its attention to China, realizing that China was the only friend on which it could be relied upon. After various considerations and awareness of the surrounding international relations, Pakistan has firmly sided with China and has made clear its support for China in various disputes.
In retaliation for Pakistan's pivot, the United States has severed its cooperation agreements and contracts with Pakistan. Although Pakistan has suffered a lot of losses, it has also received help and support from China. In particular, in the Second Indo-Pakistani War, the friendship between China and Pakistan was fully verified. At that time, India and Pakistan were losing ground due to the outbreak of war over the Kashmir dispute. China is not accustomed to this situation, is ready to intervene militarily, and actively provides military assistance. Although China was not rich in domestic materials at that time, he still did his best to help this new friend. With the help of China, India and Pakistan ceasefired, and they withstood the test of this war and became true allies. Since then, China-Pakistan relations have deepened, withstood the test of decades of political vicissitudes, and gradually become reliable brothers.
In recent years, when China was facing difficulties, Pakistan gave a lot of assistance. For example, when Wenchuan** happened in China, Pakistan, which is not wealthy, expressed its willingness to provide any assistance. They have provided us with about $900,000 in material assistance. And when Pakistan itself was in trouble, we did not hesitate to lend a helping hand. As the world's infrastructure maniac, China has provided a lot of help to Pakistan in infrastructure construction, such as Pakistan's subway and hydropower stations, which have been supported by China. The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan has brought many benefits to both sides, such as the Chinese-leased Gwadar port, which allows us to reduce our dependence on the Strait of Malacca, so that oil and energy can be transported directly to Xinjiang. There is also the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway, which is the main transportation route from the north of Pakistan to the capital Islamabad and the southern coastal areas, and is also the only land passage from China to Pakistan, the South Asian subcontinent and the Middle East, which is of great strategic and military significance.
After decades of development, the friendship between China and Pakistan has become even more solid. It has been said, "There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests." What do you think of that?Dear readers, please join us in the discussion.