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Pakistan
China
Pakistan's desire for maximum balance and diversification in
its external relations has also led to close relations with China--a
valuable geopolitical connection. In 1950 Pakistan recognized
the new People's Republic of China, the third noncommunist state
and the first Muslim country to do so. The deterioration in Sino-Indian
relations that culminated in the 1962 border war provided new
opportunities for Pakistan's relations with China. The two countries
reached agreement on the border between them, and a road was built
linking China's Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region with the Northern
Areas of Pakistan. China supported Pakistan diplomatically in
both its 1965 and 1971 wars with India and provided Pakistan with
economic and military assistance. Pakistan's China connection
enabled it to facilitate the 1971 visit of United States secretary
of state Henry Kissinger to that country, and in the 1980s China
and the United States supplied military and economic assistance
through Pakistan to the Afghan mujahidin fighting the
Soviet occupation forces. Pakistan's ties with China remain strong,
and friendly relations between the two countries continue to be
an important factor in Pakistan's foreign policy.
Data as of April 1994
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