ISLAMABAD, Oct 31: China has been a great friend of Pakistan but in romanticising that friendship the people and government of Pakistan have lost sight of the fact that in the real world nations build bilateral relations on common interests, not on clichés and poetry.

This hard message emerged from a two-hour discussion at the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) here on Friday on the unrealistic hopes put in President Asif Zardari’s recent visit to China to seek help to save Pakistan from a financial meltdown.

“In the world of diplomacy, romanticism and poetry has no place,” stressed the area experts and analysts who dissected the limitations of Pakistan and its habit of labeling its relations with China as “all-weather”, “higher than Himalayas and deeper than oceans”, and “time-tested”.

At a time when President Zardari, taking on his shoulder an economy that is ill to the bones, has arrived home from his Chinese excursion brining with him only promises at a time when Pakistan badly needs cash and assistance, the country now must re-assess its foreign policy priorities.

The speakers at the discussion advised the policymakers not to put their eggs in one basket as the friends of Pakistan, including China, had refused to provide the required ready cash amounting to a modest $4 billion to get the country out of the economic quagmire.

Pakistan is now after the International Monitory Fund (IMF) to get the high interest non-concessional loan.

Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed of the Department of International Relations, Quaid-i-Azam University said that China was suffering from the paradox and irony of having capitalist economy and a communist type of politics.

But the fourth generation of the Chinese leadership, which is in power now, did not carry the baggage of ideology (socialism) on their shoulders. They even did not know about the Pakistan-China relations which were drenched in romanticism than pragmatism since its establishment back in 1950.

Zhou Rong, Chief of South Asia Bureau of Chinese daily Guang Ming, said that there was a consensus among the Chinese leadership to help Pakistan, but they were still thinking how.

He said the Chinese needed some time to sort out what could be the best option available with it to assist Pakistan.

Fazalur Rehman of the China Studies Centre, Islamabad, said that further strengthening its friendship with China was in the best interest of Pakistan.

Dr Farrukh Saleem, in his opening remarks said that Pakistan-China friendship had been known as “all-weather” despite the fact that in the real world, relations between states were based on common interests.

Journalist and CRSS Chairman Imtiaz Gul, and Resident Editor Dawn, Zaffar Abbas also spoke on the occasion.