ISLAMABAD: A US scholar has said Pakistan would have to strike balance in ties with China and United States to avoid drifting further away from Washington.

Daniel Markey, a professor in International Relations at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), while speaking at a webinar hosted by Islamabad Policy Institute (IPI) on ‘South Asia and Biden Administration: Engagement and Challenges’, said: “A better scenario is that Pakistan should maintain some balance in its relations with China and the United States.”

Explaining his vision of balance that Pakistan could be required to undertake, Prof Markey said it could be done by creating “openings for outside investors,” by offering them incentives and benefits similar to those extended to Chinese companies and investors.

According to a statement issued by the think tank, he was of the opinion that US would be welcoming of Chinese support to Pakistan as long as Beijing’s investments are ‘sustainable’ and in ‘critical sectors’ as per Pakistan’s economic requirements.

The scholar noted that Biden administration’s foreign policy outlook, particularly the South Asia strategy, will be shaped by accelerating strategic competition with China in the immediate term.

“Washington now very clearly perceives China as the global competitor to the United States and this (thinking) is likely to remain for a long period of time to come and, therefore, all of what the United States does internationally will be structured with China in mind,” he maintained.

Prof Markey, while explaining Biden administration’s approach to dealing with Afghanistan conflict, said that it was attempting to accelerate the dialogue, and progress towards a framework for an agreement between the warring parties that could enable US to stick to a timeline for military withdrawal similar to one given in the Feb 2020 agreement with the Taliban.

Biden administration, he said, is clearly committed to leaving Afghanistan, but wants to do so in a way that at least does not lead to rapid deterioration of security and establishes a regional compact that could provide a degree of stability or help manage instability, if it happens, going forward.

Former Pakistani diplomat Amb Javid Hussain, while taking part in the discussion, underscored how US policy of propping up India militarily as part of its China containment strategy was affecting Pakistan.

IPI Executive Director Prof Sajjad Bokhari, in his opening remarks, said Pakistani and US policymakers need to search for common ground. He said US must broaden its perspective beyond the Afghan lens and both sides should build mutual trust and undertake pragmatic cooperation for peaceful and prosperous South Asia.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2021