When China’s prime minister opened the gleaming white latticed China-Pakistan friendship centre in Islamabad at the weekend, the gesture of friendship might easily have been mistaken for naked ambition.
Wen Jiabao was simultaneously unveiling $35bn worth of trade and investment deals to give wings to Pakistan’s stumbling economy by binding it closer to the world’s fastest growing economy. Alongside a newly agreed $16bn package with India, the engagement with Pakistan gives China a sizeable economic footprint in south Asia.
Pakistan is the latest country where Beijing is deploying economic power for diplomatic ends. Last month, China agreed $20bn worth of deals with France and is considering the possible purchase of Portuguese government bonds.