'China, Pak discussing N-deal to counter Indo-US pact'

BEIJING: China and its 'all-weather' ally Pakistan are discussing an agreement similar to the one India has reached with the US on the civilian nuclear cooperation to maintain the regional security balance, sources said here today.

Even as the two old allies discuss a nuclear deal, China's reservations over the Indo-US deal and the boundary issue may be clouding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's maiden visit to Beijing, which is likely to take place towards the end of the year, they said.

Since Pakistan has pleaded with China at the highest level not to let it down in the nuclear balance with India, Beijing is apparently working out a nuclear deal with Islamabad, in case the Indo-US nuclear agreement is okayed by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the sources told PTI here preferring anonymity.

While China was apparently taken aback by the finalisation of the 123 Agreement, Beijing now hopes that the opposition within India itself will wreck the Indo-US nuclear deal, the sources said.

At the same time, China is making active preparations for a counter-deal involving Pakistan, they said, while taking note of the recent spate of critical reports on the Indo-US nuclear agreement in the official Chinese media.

The China-Pakistan defence ties and the implications of the Indo-US deal on Beijing and Islamabad came up for detailed discussions here this month when Chairman of Pakistan's Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen Ehsan Ul Haq, visited Beijing.

During talks with Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong and Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan, the Pakistani side was assured that Beijing would further step-up its support to ensure the security of the country and maintain regional balance in South Asia, the sources said.

Haq had led a high-profile military delegation comprising representatives of three services as well as Ministries Defence and Defence Production and Joint Staff Headquarters.

During his stay in Beijing, Haq also met Vice Minister of Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (COSTIND) Jinchung Long, Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo - also the Special Representative of China to the India-China boundary talks - and Chief of Army Gen Liang Guanglie.
   
China also sent its Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai to Islamabad early this month, who called on President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri among others, discussing the draft of the Sino-Pakistan civilian nuclear deal among other issues, the sources said.

If Beijing and New Delhi fail to find common ground on the Indo-US deal and achieve marked progress on the vexed boundary issue, the atmosphere will not be conducive for a Prime Ministerial visit, they said.

While no date has been announced for Singh's trip to China, active preparations are on for the high-level visit.

The sources said that of late, Sino-India relations have faced turbulent times, mainly due to Beijing's opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal, stalemate on the boundary negotiations and India joining forces with the US, Japan and Australia to promote 'democracy' in Asia.

On the nuclear issue, China has come out with a carefully-drafted response to the 123 agreement reached between India and the US, which calls for a "creative thinking" by the international community on the deal.

"It is hoped that the international community can explore and properly handle the issue by creative thinking," Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement last week when an official comment was sought on what would be China's stand at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) meeting when the deal would come up for discussion and voting.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also restated its previous tough stand that sanctity of Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and other international laws must be maintained.

The official Chinese media has voiced opposition to the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, claiming that it would derail international non-proliferation efforts.

Judging by two articles published on Friday in the ruling Communist Party of China's (CPC) official mouthpiece 'People's Daily' and its sister publication 'Global Times', China seems to press the US to reconsider the nuclear deal with India, analysts said.

The papers commented that the nuclear deal has caused a serious political turmoil in India leading to a situation where the government may be forced to go.

The articles gave prominent coverage to the views of the Left parties on the 123 agreement. The People's Daily charged that the US disregarded international opinion to use India as a 'tool for its global strategic pattern' by reaching the nuclear deal with it.

Meanwhile, the India-China boundary negotiation at the political level is apparently facing a stalemate with Beijing demanding return of Tawang as part of a "package deal."

Signalling a gradual hardening of its position on Arunachal Pradesh, Beijing has apparently conveyed to New Delhi that 'mere presence' of populated areas would not affect Chinese claims on the boundary.
   
The last round of boundary negotiations was held between the Special Representatives of India and China - National Security Advisor M K Narayanan and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo -- in April in India.

The Chinese turnaround has already surprised New Delhi as the landmark political guidelines for the settlement of the boundary issue inked in 2005 clearly indicated the contrary.

The tough Chinese stand on the boundary issue was also visible when Beijing denied visa to an IAS officer from Arunachal Pradesh earlier this year, forcing New Delhi to cancel a study tour of China by over 100 senior IAS officials.

China has also protested against India, US, Japan and Australia trying to form an alliance of 'democracies' which excluded Beijing.