`US trying to drive wedge between China, Pak using India`

K J M Varma
Beijing, Sep 8 (PTI) Accusing the US of trying to drive a
wedge between "tested friends" China and Pakistan, the
official media here on Wednesday said that America was "poking
its nose" into the Sino-Pak ties using "India's hand" with
"hyped up" reports of the presence of Chinese troops in PoK.
Commenting for the first time on the recent New York
Times report about presence of up to 11,000 troops in PoK and
denial of visa to Lt Gen B S Jaswal who heads troops in Jammu
and Kashmir, 'People's Daily', the mouthpiece of the ruling
CPC, said the US seems to have "fixated on the strategic and
military indications" behind the China-Pakistan ties.
The NYT report, which was denied by China as an attempt
to "provoke" Sino-Pak relations and also hurt its "already
volatile ties with India", was "quickly echoed by the Indian
media who in chorus bawled China out for its 'aggressive
posturing' on issues critical to India's sovereignty and
territorial integrity," it said in a write-up .
Interestingly, it referred to the Gilgit-Baltistan area,
where the Chinese troops' presence was reported by NYT,
as a "region administered by Pakistan" unlike the Chinese
Foreign Ministry which has begun referring to the region as
"northern Pakistan."
"India has long been wary of the iron-clad China-Pakistan
relations, and of late its concerns have been heightened after
Beijing's alleged denial of visa to a senior Indian army
commander on grounds that his command included Jammu and
Kashmir," the write-up titled 'US disguised hand behind
China-Pak relations' said.
"Although India flays even the Chinese plan to build dams
and other infrastructure projects in Pakistan-administered
Kashmir, the US seems to have more often fixated on the
strategic and military indications behind the ever
strengthening China-Pak ties."
On this assumption, China's reach to Pakistan is
"pigeonholed" by some American military strategists as a
"muscle-flexing showcase" of Beijing's upsurge in regional and
international military clout, it said. (More) PTI