In this Friday, Nov. 2, 2018 file photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China.
Economic Times/New York Times: China’s ‘Belt and Road’ plan in Pakistan takes a military turn
ISLAMABAD: When President Donald Trump started the new year by suspending billions of dollars of security aid to Pakistan, one theory was that it would scare the Pakistani military into cooperating better with its U.S. allies.
The reality was that Pakistan already had a replacement sponsor lined up.
Just two weeks later, the Pakistani air force and Chinese officials were putting the final touches on a secret proposal to expand Pakistan’s building of Chinese military jets, weaponry and other hardware. The confidential plan, reviewed by The New York Times, would also deepen the cooperation between China and Pakistan in space, a frontier the Pentagon recently said Beijing was trying to militarize after decades of playing catch-up.
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WNU Editor: Pakistan has no choice. They do not have easy access to international credit markets, and no one (with the exception of China) is willing to help finance their military and nuclear weapons expansion. And in regards to China's "Silk Road" strategy .... it is an economic initiative, but for the Chinese there is also a national security.
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