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A new study has concluded that Pakistan is the country most influenced by China. The China Index — a cross-regional project of DoubleThink Lab, a Taiwan-based research organization — ranks 82 countries according to varying degrees of dependence on Beijing. Pakistan is followed by Cambodia (second) and Singapore (third), while Central Asian countries Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan also make the top 10. The index focuses on nine domains to assess China’s influence around the world — academia, domestic politics, economics, foreign policy , military cooperation, law enforcement, media, society and technology.
It’s not a secret. According to an IMF report, about 30 percent of Pakistan’s external debt is owed to China. China’s fiscal aid is greater than Pakistan’s IMF debt and the amount given by the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank. Touted as a “regional connectivity framework”, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has witnessed billions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects financed and built by Chinese companies over the past decade. China has “rewarded” its close ally by repeatedly blocking proposals by India and the US at the United Nations to ban Pakistan-based terrorists.
Here we have a lesson for the US, which is recalibrating its defense and military ties with Pakistan. Calling Pakistan an important partner in the fight against terrorism, the US approved a $450 million maintenance program for the F-16 fighter jet fleet in September, four years after then-President Trump suspended about $2 billion in security aid to Islamabad for failing to take adequate action. against terrorist groups. Washington is not fooling anyone by saying that the F-16 package is not expected to “change the basic military balance of the region.” Instead, the US is playing into China’s hands by bolstering Pakistan’s military strength vis-à-vis India. Beijing wants to keep New Delhi occupied on the western border so that it can make inroads along the LAC. America is well advised to avoid spending money, effort and resources on Pakistan, which China continues to hold in its grip. India’s objections to Pak’s moves should make the US see reason.
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