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India-Pakistan
China shocked about being kept in dark
2011-05-09
BEIJING: China is shell shocked over the fact that it was kept in the dark about the US operations close to Islamabad. It has suddenly found that years of cultivating the political class and spending billions of dollars in Pakistan has proved futile.
Nice to see that we're not the only major power pissing away billions of dollars in Pakistain...
The operations showed the US commands a lot more influence in the Pakistani military than what Beijing had estimated during its several parleys and joint military exercises with its neighbour.
Below starts China's attempt to humor the Paks and the ISI, and thus curry some favor in the future...
Chinese officials and experts are privately asking why US raiders did not try to take Osama Bin Laden alive if they had known his whereabouts since last August. And whether there was an underhand deal involving the raiders, some elements in the Pakistani government and supporters of Bin Laden.

But the Chinese leadership is keeping up a brave front. It is backing Zardari's story that his government knew nothing of the operations.

"It would not have been possible for the US to carry out anti-terrorist operations without Pakistani government assistance. But in this particular case, I think the local government did not know about it," Rong Ying, vice president of the State-run China Institute of International Studies, told TNN.

It would be wrong to suggest the Zardari government knew about it, and kept China in the dark, Rong said. But one has to accept that the US showed total disregard for Pakistan's sovereignty by conducting the operations without keeping the local government informed, he said.

US agencies had installed sophisticated equipment close to the area of operations three years back, Hu Shisheng, deputy director in the State-run Institute of South and Southeast Asian Studies, pointed out. It is difficult to believe the Americans did not know about Bin Laden's residence until last August, he said.

"But I tend to believe the top leaders in the Pakistani government did not know about the operations. If some of them did know, it is a dangerous signal. It means the Pakistani government can be seized by dangerous groups," he said.

Rong said the killing of Bin Laden will have no affect on China-Pakistan relations which has a long history and several dimensions to it.

China has no problems with the US and Pakistan having close relationship in the battle against terrorism because it affects every country on the earth. But it wants Pakistan's sovereignty to remain intact, he said.
Posted by:Steve White

#10  "You want to be staring at that floor, people. If you raise your heads, violence IS likely to ensue."
-- Serenity
Posted by: mojo   2011-05-09 14:06  

#9   what are the odds that Obama took, not 16 hours, but EIGHT MONTHS to make up his mind?

Now worse than 50/50 why do you ask?
Posted by: AlanC   2011-05-09 13:52  

#8  Who does China think they are questioning why we didn't capture him alive? Hell, they execute ppl for corruption.
Posted by: chris   2011-05-09 13:47  

#7  It would be wrong to suggest the Zardari government knew about it, and kept China in the dark.

Obviously. On the other hand - a

It is difficult to believe the Americans did not know about Bin Laden's residence until last August.

I know that's hard for you to grasp, but consider - what are the odds that Obama took, not 16 hours, but EIGHT MONTHS to make up his mind? So the Chicoms aren't buying any of it.
Posted by: Bobby   2011-05-09 13:33  

#6  Well Sherry, seems the office accomodations for the #1 spot aren't quite up to snuff in spite of the high price - the office staff sucks as does the Janitorial services - and lets not start on the conditions of the executive washbasin washroom. And to top it off you only get swimming privledges after you're retired.

OnTheOtherHand - the retirement benefits are to *die* for!
Posted by: CrazyFool   2011-05-09 11:38  

#5  Question... is it unusual that al-Qaeda hasn't named a Number 1? Or did I miss something?
Posted by: Sherry   2011-05-09 10:09  

#4  The Chinese are worried that their PAk/ISI weapon against Indian regional influence is either
a) not staying bought, or
b) incompetent beyond words, or
c) both
Posted by: Frank G   2011-05-09 09:42  

#3  The Chinese are mainly thinking about how they can reverse engineer the SEALs and the Nightstalkers.
Posted by: Matt   2011-05-09 09:11  

#2  Some consider Gul to be top terror leader.
Posted by: Water Modem   2011-05-09 08:12  

#1  The US didn't want China to tell Pakistan, as per that whole SINO-PAK, "BIG BROTHER CHINA, LITTLE BROTHER PAKISTAN" ALLIANCE thingy.

* OTOH, FIRST HEADLINES > WIDOUT BIN LADEN, [Afghan] TALIBAN MAY TALK PEACE.

I'll have to hear it personally from Mullah Omar, etal. on this before I'd truly believe it.

* SAME > [White House = USA] NS ADVISOR: AYMAN ZAWAHIRI NOW MOST WANTED TERRORIST.

* DAILY TIMES.PK > OSAMA'S KILING MAY WEAKEN AL-QAEDA INFLUENCE ON TALIBAN.

See above on Mullah Omar, etal.

In the wake of Osama's death + perceived new US willingness to violate State(s)-sponsors sovereignty iff necessary, IMO Al-Qaeda may attempt to decentralize further + survive under auspice of JOINT TOP LEADERSHIP, I.E TWO OR MORE TOP-TIER LEADERS SHARING ORGANZ COMMAND-N-CONTROL???

The "INK DROP" devols into DROP-LETS???
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2011-05-09 01:29  

00:00