Fed up with Pakistan, China may take matters into its own hands. Here's how

Chinese workers in Pakistan have been targeted by terrorist attacks twice within six months, prompting Beijing to raise security concerns at the highest diplomatic levels, but to little avail

China may use its private security companies to provide security for Chinese workers in Pakistan, under a possible joint security mechanism between Beijing and Islamabad, the publicly known details of which remain limited, revealed a piece published by Pakistani publication Dawn on Sunday.

 

The piece, titled 'Beefing up security', by security analyst Muhammad Amir Rana added that if these Chinese private security companies are deployed on the ground in Pakistan in order to provide "inner-circle security" for Chinese workers, this could possibly be just the initial step. According to Rana, if security threats to Chinese nationals are still not prevented, "the cooperation would go deeper".

 

 

What's going on between China and Pakistan?

 

Chinese nationals working in Pakistan, mostly under the $62-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, have been targeted by terrorist attacks twice within six months, while a convoy of foreign diplomats narrowly escaped another attack while recently visiting Swat in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

 

Facing mounting security concerns, China has reportedly been urging Pakistan to intensify efforts to crack down on terrorist groups that threaten Beijing's interests and nationals in the country. 

 

According to the Dawn piece, Beijing has been conveying its security concerns to the Pakistani leadership through high-level diplomatic channels.

 

China, according to the report, first pushed Pakistan to announce a comprehensive counter-terrorism and counter-extremism campaign, which Islamabad launched in June under the banner of 'Operation Azm-i-Istehkam'. Subsequently, Beijing has recently pressured Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to announce that he will personally oversee the investigation into October's terrorist attack in Karachi, which left two Chinese citizens dead and 10 others injured. 

 

However, Pakistan appears to have been unable to ease Beijing's concerns, as evidenced by a recent statement by the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong.

 

At a public event, Jiang rebuffed Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, rejecting his praise of Beijing's patience amid security threats. Jiang stated unequivocally that two attacks on Chinese nationals within six months were unacceptable for China and urged Pakistan to launch a comprehensive crackdown on all anti-China terrorist groups.

 

"We could crack down on these terrorists jointly," Jiang reportedly said during the event. 

 

What does this mean for Pakistan?

 

China, the report explains, appears to be demanding deeper security cooperation with Pakistan. Beijing has reportedly proposed a joint security mechanism, as also reflected by Jiang's recent remarks, because the current level of formal cooperation between China and Pakistan is not producing enough trust in its view.

 

Pakistani media reports have revealed that during Chinese Premier Li Qiang's recent visit, a joint security mechanism proposal was brought up for discussion, with Beijing making it a critical condition if Pakistan wants to secure major infrastructure and energy deals. 

 

During Li's visit, both sides reportedly signed agreements to provide Pakistani law enforcement agencies, tasked with protecting Chinese workers, with bulletproof vehicles and firefighting trucks.

 

However, apart from these initial agreements, the piece revealed that Islamabad is not in favour of a formal Chinese security presence within Pakistan.

 

Nonetheless, the increasingly public prodding by Beijing appears to have created concern in Pakistan.

 

Pakistan on Thursday called Chinese Ambassador Jiang's recent statement "perplexing" and a stark departure from the longstanding diplomatic norms between both nations.

 

"The statement from the Chinese ambassador is perplexing," Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during a weekly media briefing, adding, "... Especially considering the positive diplomatic traditions between Pakistan and China." 

 

To prevent attacks on Chinese nationals, Pakistan established the Special Security Division in 2016, comprising two light infantry divisions with 15,000 troops each. This division is also supported by another 32,000 security personnel drawn from Pakistan's Frontier Corps, police, and Levies. Pakistan has reportedly also set up a dedicated intelligence network to counter terrorism-related threats to Chinese interests.

 

Concluding the piece, Rana argues that since attacks on Chinese nationals have continued despite these measures, it appears "increasingly difficult" that Pakistan will be able to avoid the need for a joint security mechanism with China. At best, according to the piece, Pakistan can try to "confine" the mechanism to "specific areas". 

 

Under CPEC phase-I, both countries have completed 38 projects worth $25.2 billion. Meanwhile, an estimated 26 projects worth $26.8 billion are said to be in the pipeline, many of which have been included in CPEC phase-II. However, security concerns have reportedly slowed down progress on these projects.

 

Launched in 2015 as part of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, the CPEC is a key infrastructure project aimed at enhancing economic connectivity between China and Pakistan.