Pakistan wants China to build it a naval base

Reuters ^ | 05/22/2011

[sukhoi-30mki]

Pakistan wants China to build it a naval base

Reuters

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Saturday it wanted China to build it a naval base, in the latest sign of moves to strengthen ties with Beijing as relations with Washington falter.

The announcement from Pakistan’s defence minister came a day after Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani returned from a four-day visit to China, Islamabad’s biggest arms supplier.

“We would be … grateful to the Chinese government if a naval base is … constructed at the site of Gwadar for Pakistan,” Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar said in a statement, referring to a deep-water port in Pakistan’s southwest.

The statement did not say whether Pakistan had asked China to build the base at the port in Baluchistan province. Islamabad is trying to deepen ties with Beijing as relations with the United States have come under strain following the killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan this month.

Many in Washington have called for a review of billions of dollars of US aid to Pakistan after discovering bin Laden had been hiding for years in a Pakistani garrison town.

China invested $200 million in the first phase of the construction of the port, which was inaugurated in 2007.

The development, 70 km east of the Iranian border and on the doorstep of Gulf shipping lanes, was designed to handle transhipment traffic for the Gulf.

Mukhtar said the Chinese government had agreed to take operational control of Gwadar port once a contract with Singapore’s PSA International Ltd expired in around 35 years’ time.

During Gilani’s visit, Mukhtar said China had agreed to speed up the delivery of 50 multi-role combat JF-17 “

[expatguy]

Actually China has already been building the infrastructure there for several years now

An American Expat in Southeast Asia

[La Lydia]

We borrow money from China. We give it to Pakistan. Pakistan gives it to China to build a naval base. We still have to repay the money China has loaned us. What is wrong with this picture?

[mewykwistmas]

http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=String%20of%20Pearls%20china%20navy China trying to corner India and to build bases to defend it’s shipping routes

[mazda77]

During Gilani’s visit, Mukhtar said China had agreed to speed up the delivery of 50 multi-role combat JF-17

There is something about a down payment already made in the form of the tail secion, and all the other pieces of the chopper lost in the Bin Laden raid, not reported in the story. /sarc

[Ronin]

With unemployment so rampant in Pakistan, it’s hard to understand why they need the Chinese to build them a navy base.

What’s the matter? Muslims too busy praying to pick up a trowel or lay a brick?

Yeeeesh...

[turfmann]

What’s more is that we buy poorly manufactured crap made in China, which displaces jobs here in the U.S. (thank you, trade unions) the proceeds of which are used to undermine our national interests abroad.

The one thing that the Statists in both parties are unparalleled at is sowing the seeds of our own destruction.

Keep these things in mind as you buy $4.00 + per gallon gasoline, etc., etc. and how you should spend your free time in the next 18 months.

Working on political campaigns for candidates who pledge to restore the rightful relationship between the citizenry and its government might be a good idea, unless of course you’re enjoying your increasing servitude to a malevolent Uncle Sam.

[scooby321]

Obama sure has counties laughing at the US from Western Europe to Saudia Arabia, now Pakistan.

[Carley]

This is all about ‘face’ in the aftermath of a football being spiked.

[org.whodat]

Just like the rest of the middle east, if you cannot accept America's word on agreements, they will all turn to a country with nuclear weapons to protect them. The brave new world of Obummer and his illegal war on Libya.

[WellyP]

“...The development, 70 km east of the Iranian border...” What a great location for the ChiComs and N. Korea to trandship to Iran!

We should take out the Paki nukes and let India make short order of the country!

[Former Proud Canadian]

Re post 3. Incredible, isn’t it? The lunatics are running the asylum, and they are out of control.

[Erik Latranyi]

The Obama Administration threw Pakistan under the bus post-Usama, driving Pakistan into the arms of China.

The strengthening of the Islamic-Communist alliance continues while the world watches and waits for the coming war.

[WellyP]

China better think about what they are wishing for. The rich Muzzies, like the rich everywhere buy quality stuff, mostly NOT Chinese junk. There are not enough middle class Muzzies in the world to buy all the junk China makes. If the ChiComs don't sell to the middle class in Europe and to US, who are they going to sell it to?

[sukhoi-30mki]

Pakistan has been in the arms of China for more than half a century. The Western press seems to have picked that up only last week.

[9YearLurker]

Good. I want Pakistan and China closer together—while the US and India bond.

[sukhoi-30mki]

They have been this way for a very long time. People seem to be noticing it only following the tension over Osama.

[WellyP]

One out of our pool of candidates is likely to win the WH in 2012. ALL of the candidates should be talking about strengthen or relationship with India and our next Government should make it VERY clear that the US wants a Strategic Relationship with India.

[Rappini]

Just take the money we give to the Paks and give it to India.

[jpsb]

The natural US ally in the region is India not Pakistan. US support of Pakistan is a Cold War relic and should tossed in favor of better relations with India (and Russia).