Hawks don't want Xi Jinping to act against Pakistan

BEIJING: Ahead of the Communist Party Congress next month, hawks are intensifying pressure on the Chinese leadership to take no action on BRICS declaration on Pakistan-based terror groups.

However, another section clearly wants Xi to reserve policy on international liabilities like Pakistan and North Korea.

The hawkish section in the party is openly calling for support to Pakistan as a strategic necessity to counterbalance India, although it's rare for a Chinese to object to the government's political decisions.

“This is too costly to China. Pakistan will be very upset,“ Hu Shisheng, director of China Institute of Contemporary International Relations told TOI. “It's a strange decision.“

But, observers said Pakistan's sympathizers in the Communist Party have been considerably weakened owing to the recent revamping of the country's military, and the rising influence of the business lobby who object to Beijing's closeness to regimes and countries that are associated with misrule and terrorism.

Ramesh Thakur, professor at the Australian National University, told TOI: Analysts think it might be better if China somehow accommodates India which is a bigger player, and forget all about Pakistan which is a liability.“