Foreign Ministers Badr Abdelatty of Egypt, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and Hakan Fidan of Turkey meet to discuss regional de-escalation in Islamabad, Pakistan on Sunday.Turkish Foreign Ministry/Reuters
As Pakistan positions itself as a potential peacemaker in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, Islamabad is also balancing relations with China, walking an uneasy tightrope between the two superpower rivals.
After quadrilateral talks in Islamabad over the weekend with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, aimed at bringing Tehran and Washington to the table, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday flew to Beijing to brief his Chinese counterpart on efforts to end the Middle East conflict.
In a statement, Pakistan said Mr. Dar and China’s Wang Yi would discuss “regional and global issues of mutual interest,” adding the meeting – at Mr. Wang’s request – was going ahead despite Mr. Dar suffering a hairline fracture in his shoulder after he slipped and fell during a reception on Sunday, evidence “of the importance placed by Pakistan on its relationship with China.”
Speaking to reporters in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning confirmed Mr. Dar and Mr. Wang would discuss the war in Iran, adding, “China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic co-operative partners, with a relationship based on mutual trust and mutual support.”
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Pakistan, which is in the midst of its own bloody war against Afghanistan, has emerged as an unlikely interlocutor in the Iran conflict, drawing on good relations with Tehran, Washington and a host of other regional power players.
Iran and Pakistan share a nearly 1,000-kilometre border, and Pakistan, though a Sunni Muslim country, also has a large Shiite minority, meaning any instability in Iran can reverberate through Pakistan, threatening the stability of both Islamic republics.
Islamabad’s efforts to halt the war also seem designed to solidify its role as a major player both regionally – coming to the aid of Gulf nations and close ally Saudi Arabia – and in U.S. President Donald Trump’s Washington, where Pakistan has steadily built up influence in the past year.
Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief and the true power behind civilian Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is particularly close to Mr. Trump, who has called him “my favourite field marshal.” Mr. Munir, in turn, has said Mr. Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending a brief conflict between Pakistan and India.
Islamabad has gone beyond leader-to-leader relations, also reportedly courting members of Mr. Trump’s family and circle of advisers with business and property deals, hiring lobbyists close to the Trump network, and paying US$1-billion to join Mr. Trump’s signature “Board of Peace.”
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This has redounded to Pakistan’s benefit, giving it far more access in Washington than it enjoyed during the Joe Biden administration – when tensions over the botched U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan frayed ties significantly – and helping to marginalize Pakistan’s great rival, India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi once had equally close ties to Mr. Trump, but these suffered after Mr. Modi refused to credit the volatile U.S. leader for his purported role in reaching a ceasefire with Pakistan. New Delhi has also bridled at heavy U.S. tariffs and restrictions on buying Russian oil, creating an opening for Pakistan to present itself as the more reliable South Asian partner.
Mr. Dar’s trip Tuesday shows, however, that Pakistan is conscious of needing to balance improved U.S. ties with maintaining its long-standing close relationship with China. Beijing has previously warned countries against throwing away friendly relations in pursuit of cozying up to Washington.
In a phone call with Mr. Wang on Friday, Mr. Dar “expressed appreciation for China’s support for the mediation efforts of Pakistan,” according to a Chinese readout. “Pakistan and China share identical goals and positions on this issue, and Pakistan looks forward to working with China to play an active role in promoting peace and ending the conflict.”
Like Islamabad, Beijing enjoys good relations with all parties to the current Middle Eastern conflict, and has repeatedly called for an end to the fighting. But China – which once positioned itself as a major new power in the region – has played a marginal role so far, even as disruption to the global economy threatens China’s growth targets and the war frustrates efforts to secure a lasting trade deal with Mr. Trump.
Mr. Dar’s visit and open appreciation for Beijing’s support could enable China to play a bigger part going forward, if and when the U.S. and Iran agree to sit down at the same table, potentially as early as this week.
Citing unnamed official sources, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper said Tuesday that while Islamabad “is positioning itself as a front-facing facilitator, leveraging its contacts with both Tehran and Washington, China is providing diplomatic backing and reinforcing Islamabad’s role as a credible intermediary.”
Mr. Dar said Pakistan would be “honoured to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in coming days, for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict.” But it’s not clear how keen either the U.S. or Iran are to engage in such talks, with both sides criticizing the other and rubbishing prospective peace plans.
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Tehran has agreed, however, to allow dozens of Pakistan-flagged ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz, in what Mr. Dar described as a “welcome and constructive gesture.” China, too, is enjoying greater access to the key waterway, the effective closure of which panicked markets worldwide. Spokeswoman Ms. Mao said Tuesday that “three Chinese vessels recently transited the Strait of Hormuz” and expressed “gratitude to relevant parties for their assistance,” without naming any countries.
In a post on social media tagging Vice-President J. D. Vance and other senior U.S. officials, Mr. Dar said Tehran’s gesture “deserves appreciation.”
“It is a harbinger of peace and will help usher stability in the region,” he wrote. “Dialogue, diplomacy, and such confidence-building measures are the only way forward.”
With reports from Alexandra Li in Beijing