M Ali Baloch: China is winning without fighting battle

China is winning without fighting battle

Notwithstanding the ongoing gradual surge in target killings of Chinese nationals, security apparatus of the country has already done its bit by bringing marked decrease in the recurrence of terror acts across the country

By M Ali Baloch  in Feb 11, 2018

Writer is freelance contributor. He blogs at https://malibaloch.wordpress.com/ and can be reached on twitter @M_Abaloch

https://dailytimes.com.pk/199415/china-winning-without-fighting-battle/

“America has done all the fighting and while China has done all the business”, writes renowned author Vali Nasr in his book The Dispensable Nation.

China holds fast to the spirit of pacifism. She has never been in favour of active armed confrontation in Asia or anywhere in the region. Last year, Doklam stand-off between India and China came to an end without armed confrontation.

In fact, China avoided the escalation that might have led to some active confrontation. On Taiwan issue, she has been maintaining meaningful restraint. Beijing understands belligerence a threat to jeopardise her mercantile interests in region. Be it Pakistan-India bellicosity, brewing sectarian divide between Iran and Pakistan, ongoing turmoil in Afghanistan or in Middle East China hasn’t jumped into either of the conflicts.

Beijing is trying to make her assertion pervasive through economic and business ventures. She has been avoiding armed conflict with Southeast Asian nations like Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia etc over the ownership claim of an archipelago in South China Sea. Besides, China has been avoiding confrontational pursuit of her territorial claims over Scarborough Shoal ownership of which is also claimed by Taiwan and Philippines. Scarborough Shoal is a mineral rich small ring of reefs with vibrant marine life. This controversy sometimes gets sharper in intensity due to US interference and taking sides with China’s opponents. Beijing is not oblivious to Washington’s encirclement tactics tightening the leash around her by getting closer to Vietnam, Philippines, Australia and India. Due to growing safety concerns China conceived ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI) as alternate to Straits of Malacca, a sea route China depends much for mercantile shipments. BRI is a giant project involving a number of countries including CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) as one of its major components.

Pakistan is passing through a critical phase: American antagonism, raging Indian aggression, Afghanistan’s acrimonious bouts on external front; and political polarisation, militants’ terror acts, corruption episodes, simmering social discomfort on internal front are the major issues

CPEC is originating from Gwadar deep seaport, not away from the Strait of Hormuz, a choke-point with twenty nine nautical miles width wherefrom around thirty five per cent of world’s sea-born oil shipment passes. Gwadar strategically overlooking ‘Strait of Hormuz’ is not desired by America to do as outpost of Chinese navy. Thus America finds a ‘symbiotic comfort’ with India and Afghanistan to foment unrest in Pakistan where CPEC, a constituent of BRI sits. The trio finds the unsettling situation in Balochistan, militancy menace, sectarian spectre and the foreboding political polarisation in Pakistan as vulnerabilities for being exploited to vitiate the security environment. Needs no elaboration that Pakistan bashing proxies are already there sitting in Afghanistan and elsewhere in Europe and are being exploited.

America’s grouse against Pakistan being soft on some factions of Taliban is mainly an excuse to mount pressure on her to back off China. Contrary to decreasing frequency of terror incidents there seems to be gradual increase in attacks on Chinese nationals working on different projects in Pakistan. During second week of January this year Liu Ping Zhei, a supervisor working at Karot Hydropower Project, Kahuta went missing (presumed kidnapped). A few days back 46 year-old Chen Zhu was shot dead at Clifton near Zamzama Park. He was associated with a shipping firm in Karachi. There is no reason to see these targeted attacks in isolation.

Pakistan will have to evolve some security strategy to ensure Chinese security and to neutralise hostile hands’ clandestine ingress in country. The dissidents and unhappy segments of society may be wooed to join mainstream politics strengthening federation. Notwithstanding the ongoing gradual surge in targeted attacks on Chinese nationals, security apparatus of country has already done its bit by bringing marked decrease in the recurrence of terror acts across the country though a lot is still to be done. Pacifism should be promoted and those resisting CPEC and allied projects must reciprocate the governmental reconciliation gestures. State’s law enforcement agencies can neutralise or contain the disruptive activities of the recalcitrants but cannot launch socio-economic projects to productively engage the restive mood of estranged elements.

Any rapprochement is impossible in the face of ongoing political polarisation. Presently, there is much political hubbub. Politicians are pre-occupied and badly sucked in ‘war of words’ and mutual witch-hunting. Country is already facing the ‘Trumpian wrath’ aims to economically weaken and globally isolate her. On the other hand, India has been mounting pressure and her forces are involved in un-provocative firing across the LoC and Working Boundary targeting civil populace. Unwarranted and blind firing spree of India basically aims to provoke Pakistan and drag her into active armed confrontation. Pakistan’s ‘measured reaction’ is reflective of both her patience and wise strategy to escape from getting trapped into military confrontation jeopardising CPEC: that is what India actually wants.

Pakistani leadership must concentrate on taking the stock of situation so that national integrity and sanctity of sovereignty are maintained. Situation stands complicated mainly due to China factor: huge investment of China in CPEC and other strategic projects in Pakistan offering her an opportunity to enhance her regional lustre. This is not going down well with America and India. Pakistan cannot afford severing her time-tested ties with China, ‘the all-weather friend’ at the behest of America, ‘the fair-weather friend’ that she (America) has not remained now.

Pakistan is passing through a critical phase: American antagonism, raging Indian aggression, Afghanistan’s acrimonious bouts on external front; and political polarisation, militants’ terror acts, corruption episodes, simmering social discomfort on internal front are the major issues. A ‘robust strategy’ backed with ‘national cohesion’ is the need of hour to tackle external threats and address internal irritants. While not being oblivious to any existential threat Pakistan must not allow herself to fall prey to any enemy provocation. Successful materialisation of CPEC itself is going to be Pakistan’s victory against her opponents. Sun Tzu’s advice holds good here: “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” This is what China has been winning without fighting battles.

The writer is freelance contributor. He blogs at https://malibaloch.wordpress.com/ and can be reached on twitter @M_Abaloch

Published in Daily Times, February 11th 2018.

1 Comment

  Frank Li · Waterloo, Ontario

  Excellent article that was really insight into the essence of civilization and wisdom of China; indeed, the valuable quintessence of 5000 years' civilization of China, it was not in the length of the time, but in the continuous written record of history - the lessons of success and failure has been alerting future generations of China to avoid detours.
  Compared with civilization of China, the West was not a human civilization at all, religiously slaughtering, colonized killing and plundering. Today's government was legally designed as election of several groups of people from different parties to fight in Congress and such deadly ignorance fighting made government cannot reach the policies that are favorable to the country. Such a West civilization is not belonging to human beings at all.
  The decision of Germany establishing own NATO headquarters has sounded the knell of the disintegration of U.S.-led NATO, which was a sign of the failure of Western civilization.
  Thanks Mr. M Ali Baloch for your good writings.

巴鐵媒體：這就是中國一直不戰而勝的原因

http://new.qq.com/omn/20180212/20180212A033VV.html

  巴基斯坦《每日時報》2月11日文章，原題：中國不戰而勝 “在美國全力打仗的時候，中國則在做生意。”知名作家瓦利·納沙爾在《可有可無的國家》一書中寫道。在筆者看來，中國堅守和平主義精神，從來不支持亞洲或者該地區的任何地方發生武裝對峙。
  去年，中印洞朗對峙事件最終以沒有發生武裝對抗而結束。事實上，中國避免了可能導致對峙情形的局勢升級。在台灣問題上也一直保持有意義的克製。北京知道交戰會將其經濟發展的大好形勢置於危險當中。無論是印巴交戰，還是阿富汗和中東地區正在發生的動蕩，中國沒有介入任何一場衝突。與美國軍事幹涉不同的是，北京正努力通過經濟和企業活動使自己的主張傳遍各個角落。
  在南海爭端問題上，中國竭力避免與東南亞國家發生武裝衝突。這些爭議有時會變得更加尖銳，原因就是美國進行幹涉和站在中國對手的一邊。很顯然，北京沒有因為挑釁而失去理智，但對於華盛頓的包圍戰術——通過與越南、菲律賓、澳大利亞和印度走得更近來嚴格控製中國周邊國家——也絕非不聞不問。基於國家戰略安全的需要，中國把“一帶一路”倡議視作馬六甲海峽——中國的大部分商業運輸都依賴這條航線——之外的另一個選擇。“一帶一路”倡議是涉及眾多國家的一個大工程，其中中巴經濟走廊就是重要組成部分之一。
  中巴經濟走廊起自瓜達爾深水港——離要害之地霍爾木茲海峽不遠。美國不想讓在戰略上俯瞰霍爾木茲海峽的瓜達爾港成為中國海軍的前哨陣地。因此，美國和印度、阿富汗通過在巴基斯坦煽動動蕩而找到了一種“共生安慰”。美國抱怨巴基斯坦對塔利班一些派別軟弱主要是為其迫使巴基斯坦離開中國尋找借口。與恐怖事件發生頻率下降相反的是，為巴基斯坦不同工程項目工作的中國公民遇襲事件看來呈緩慢上升趨勢。沒有理由認為這些有針對性的襲擊事件是孤立的。因此，巴基斯坦需製定更細致的安全戰略以確保中國人的安全和挫敗敵對人員對這個國家和破壞中巴關係的企圖。
  巴基斯坦領導人必須集中精力評估當前形勢，這樣才能維護國家的完整和主權的神聖不可侵犯。形勢複雜主要是因為中國因素：中國對中巴經濟走廊和巴基斯坦其他戰略工程的巨額投資為其提供了增強其地區吸引力的機會。這與美國和印度並不合拍。巴方承擔不起中斷與中國久經考驗的關係的代價。
  中巴經濟走廊的成功實現將預示著巴基斯坦戰勝其對手。孫子的忠告在這裏仍然有效：戰爭中最偉大的勝利是“不戰而屈人之兵”。這就是中國一直不戰而勝的原因。
  此前，英國媒體《金融時報》也刊文稱，不論中美雙方達成什麽樣的結果，都必須認識到一個必然的事實：中國不太可能放棄“和平崛起”。這是由中國內部因素，也是關鍵因素所決定的。如果美國無法認清楚這一點，將很可能作出嚴重的戰略誤判。
   (作者M·阿裏·俾路支，陳一譯)