New Delhi: US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome’s secret visit to the China-funded Gwadar port in Balochistan earlier this month has sent ripples of conjecture on what it means for diplomatic relations across the subcontinent. Apart from a brief stop by the charge d’affaires in 2021, this is the first time a United States of America ambassador to Pakistan has visited the port in 17 years. It’s a significant move because Gwadar port is a heavily barricaded area, access to which is closely monitored.
“The high-level visit of Washington signals a silent diplomacy between the two countries,” senior journalist Hamid Mir told ThePrint. He was part of one of the meetings between Blome and the Balochistan authorities.
An Indian political analyst who did not want to be named said that the visit could impact Pakistan’s “all-weather relations” with China.
“It signifies the start of [US’] amenable diplomacy with Pakistan,” said the analyst.
Ties between Pakistan and the US were not the best under the Biden administration and further weakened after former Prime Minister Imran Khan accused America of conspiring to destabilise his government.
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Secret visit
The trip was a well-kept secret. Neither the US embassy in Islamabad nor the Pakistan government issued any statements or made any announcements to the media ahead of Blome’s ‘tour’.
After the visit, the US issued an anodyne press release stating the purpose of the visit to Gwadar was to investigate commerce and development prospects. It recalled the US’s “long-standing connection” with Balochistan and the relief it had offered after last year’s floods.
According to Mir, the visit was perhaps an effort to contain growing Iran-Pakistan relations due to increased collaborations between both in the fields of gas and electricity. “It was also a message that America has no intention of destabilising Balochistan, despite what media reports suggest,” he said.
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China’s role in Gwadar
Gwadar’s strategic location at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz is important as it connects the oil-rich Middle East to the rest of the world. It’s the linchpin of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Just four days ago, China’s assistant foreign minister Nong Rong stressed the importance of the two countries fostering mutually advantageous collaborations that would positively impact Pakistanis, including those residing in the Balochistan province, reported Pakistan Today.
The Gwadar Port was built with Chinese assistance and officially opened in 2007. It was supposed to be run by Pakistan. But authorities handed over control of the port to the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) shortly after its opening in response to American worries over China’s growing influence in the area.
However, as Washington and Islamabad’s differences increased over time—particularly on the Afghanistan issue—Pakistan started to turn away from Washington and once more turned to Beijing for assistance. And in 2013, the control of the port was handed over to a Chinese company.
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US-China tussle
The US envoy’s visit is being seen as an effort to contain the Chinese influence in Pakistan.
In his op-ed for Dawn, security analyst Muhammad Amir Rana wrote that Blome’s recent trip might not bode well with China.
“The US appears to be effectively intervening and enhancing its reputation in areas where China faces security challenges and a negative public perception. This suggests that the geopolitical competition between the two nations will likely intensify in the coming months and years,” he wrote.
Author and journalist Azaz Syed, however, disagrees.
“There is a silent diplomatic war between the US and China. Both countries are now creating new alliances,” he told ThePrint.
For instance, in 2021, US Envoy Angela Aggeler paid Gwadar a visit, the first by the US since 2007. State Department Counselor Derek Chollet visited Pakistan in February this year and had earlier declared a $30 million aid package for flood victims last year.
In Syed’s view, China is surely concerned about the visit. “But it knows that while Pakistan-US relations may bloom, Pakistan will never ditch China.”
At the end of the day, Pakistan is battling a severe economic crisis and needs both the US and China as allies.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)