Pakistan can act as a “bridge builder” between China and the United States in the midst of growing global tensions, Pakistan Peoples People party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zze-Zoni under the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference said.
In a conversation with Deutsche Welle, Bilawal Pakistan’s historical role in promoting the dialogue between Beijing and Washington highlighted.
“If you want to put us in a camp, we would like to see ourselves as a bridge construction,” he said, adding that Pakistan is aiming to bridge holes instead of elaborating.
Bilawal described former US President Donald Trump as a “deal maker” who suggested that Pakistan could engage in the United States on the most important regional challenges under his leadership.
He also emphasized that Pakistan is looking for better ties with India despite regional rivals, warning that the United States is supporting India as a counterbalance to China could burn an arms race.
Bilawal noted Pakistan’s stable ties to China, but emphasized that the country must remain connected to the wider world.
Last year, Pakistan’s foreign office reiterated that relations with China and the United States were just as important and rejected zero-sum diplomacy.
About security, Bilawal Pakistan’s current challenges connected to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, as he said empowered militant groups such as Tehreek-in-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Daesh.
He highlighted Pakistan’s previous success in counteracting militant conditions and urged political consensus to tackle the question.
Pakistan had played a key role in establishing diplomatic relations between the United States and China in the early 1970s and served as a key dissemination.
In 1971, Pakistan relieved secret communication between the United States and China. Then President Yahya Khan served as a wire between US President Richard Nixon and Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai.
Pakistan arranged a secret visit for US national security adviser Henry Kissinger to Beijing in July 1971. Officially Kissinger was on a trip to Pakistan, but he celebrated illness and was calmly flown to China from Islamabad.
Kissinger’s visit paved the way for President Nixon’s pioneering trip to China in 1972 and marked the beginning of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Pakistan’s role was crucial due to its friendly ties with both nations at the time and served the country significant diplomatic goodwill from both the US and China. This triangular diplomacy also helped Pakistan strengthen its international status, especially as it navigated regional challenges with India.
