The matter of providing the military outposts to China has already been discussed by the Chinese officials with the Pakistan Prime Minister as well as the Foreign Minister who have not publicly spoken about it so far nor the details on whether Pakistan has agreed to the demands of China have been public; however, on the ground, the situation seems to be different with China already setting its foot on the Gwadar Sea Port and might already be in the process of setting up the outposts to first, safeguard its heavy investments and second, showing its dominance in the region.
Pakistan with its weak economy and it being a debt-torn country does not seem to be in a position to deny what is being sought because if the country’s leadership—which is already held up with a lot of political issues domestically—aims to take a different stance, the Chinese would build the pressure to clear the debt which has already been used to seek a bailout from the IMF. On the other hand, Pakistan is hugely dependent on China for the military as well as diplomatic support and if the estimates are to be believed, then the Chinese investments in Pakistan account for more than $65 billion—which is huge, potent for pushing the country towards bankruptcy if pulled out.
With the all-weather-friendship, coupled with continuous financial support, China is set to turn Pakistan into a colony which will be used to affect the power dynamics in the region, and Pakistan, in turn, will have no option but to toe the line and do what it is being asked by the Dragon. At the same time, China has similar plans for Afghanistan as well, and to materialize the plan, it has been using Pakistan on and off to strike a deal, but, the Taliban has ensured to keep Pakistan at bay in such matters—however, something might be in the offing there, too, who knows?
It is clear that China is trying to do what the US did post-Gulf War in the 1990s. The war ensured that the US stayed in the Middle East, and did everything to ensure its influence in the region; projected the same as a power statement. The stay of the US in the Middle East then paved a way for the Iraq war and what was then seen in Libya, Syria, and Yemen. China is trying to tread the same path of making a power statement in the region, with money and minus war; and in that Pakistan, which is currently helpless, is going to be used as a puppet, facilitating Dragon, because its economy isn’t going to see improvement any time soon, so, it can’t lock horns with it. India in the meanwhile needs to look on and maneuver as per the situation.
