Pakistan’s Policy Towards China: The Ayub Khan Era

On January4,1950, Pakistan issued a statement that Pakistan recognized thenew state of China. The two countries established formal diplomatic relations onMay21,1951. However, the bilateral relations was not plain sailing.In the1950s,Pakistan did not develop a stable policy towards China. As a result, the Pakistangovernment swayed between two opinions on many issues on China. In October1958, Ayub Khan, who was famous for his anti-communist view, came into power.In order to cater to the United States, Ayub Khan took a radical anti-China policy inhis early political stage. In the meantime, after a series of protest notes,countercharges and the border skirmishes in the border, the Sino-Indian relationsworsened irreparably. Simultaneously the Sino-Soviet relations had developedserious strains by early1960s. On the contrary, the Indo-Soviet relations got closerthan before. At the same time, Pakistan’s disillusionment with the election campaignin the US Presidential election which showed a new foreign policy, with pointersfavouring India. With the downward trend in the US-Pakistan, Sino-Indian, andSino-Soviet, the upward trend in Indo-US and Indo-Soviet relations, Ayub Khanproposed that Pakistan would approach China to re-define the border between thePak-occupied Kashmir and the Chinese Sinkiang. After the outbreak of theSino-Indian War, Pakistan’s reaction to Western arms supply to India turned intoresentment against the United States. During the war, Pakistan lent diplomaticsupport to China. Ayub Khan desired to approach to China to against India together,thereby the Chinese would be a factor in controlling India’s power in the conflictbetween India and Pakistan in the future. The Sino-Indian War became a turningpoint in the Sino-Pakistan relations. The bilateral relations had developed rapidlyfrom1963to1965. In the Indo-Pakistan War of1965, Pakistan forged an alliancewith China in action. After the war, Pakistan realized that it was unwise to put alleggs into one basket. Ayub Khan considered that the policy objective could better beachieved by striking a balance in its relations with the three Great Powers. Therefore, Pakistan developed a pragmatic and stable policy towards China, which hadcontinued to the present.In Ayub Khan’s period, Pakistan’s policy towards China was conditioned bythree factors. The first one was the national interests, the different policies towardsChina of Ayub Khan Administration were from Pakistan’s national interest requires.The second one was the global pattern, Pakistan’s policy towards China was underthe big background of the Cold War. The third one was the regional pattern of SouthAsia. India, the United States, China, the Soviet Union were the factors affectingPakistan’s foreign policy. When Sino-Indian relations and Sino-Soviet relationsdeteriorated, the U.S-Indian relations and Soviet-Indian relations improved,Sino-Pakistan relations would develop. The reason is they have the same enemies.