US President George W. Bush (seated) signs the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Non-proliferation Enhancement Act during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington October 8, 2008. [Agencies] (Photo from China Daily)Fallout Of US-India Nuke Deal -- Christian Science Monitor
Could China's plan to help Pakistan build nuclear power plants be the first of many pacts in the region?
Washington - China's agreement to help Pakistan build two nuclear power plants is prompting warnings that the new US-India civilian nuclear deal is already pushing other countries to pursue their own nuclear relationships.
The concern among South Asia experts and nonproliferation advocates is that the American deal allowing India to pursue an expanded civilian nuclear program with limited safeguards is prompting other countries in a volatile region to seek a similar deal – something the US had said would not happen.
"You can't help but hear about China supplying Pakistan with nuclear power plants and see it as a reaction to the US-India deal," says Michael Krepon, a South Asia nuclear proliferation expert at the Henry L. Stimson Center in Washington. "Pakistan is desperate for energy, as is India, but there are lower-cost and shorter-timeline options for producing it, so there is something else going on here and in the Middle East."
That "something else" – whether a result of Iran pursuing a nuclear program it claims is peaceful or Saudi Arabia talking nuclear power with the US – is a regional scramble to counterbalance the nuclear plans of often untrusted neighbors. In the case of Pakistan, it's the pursuit of a counterweight to offset the expanding US-India strategic partnership – particularly in the nuclear realm – through a similar, though less ambitious, partnership with China.
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My Comment: If one looks into the future .... 15, 20, or 30 years from now .... the focus for much of the world's tension will be in Asia. As regional Asian powers become stronger and more independent, alliances and military cooperation will be the order of the day for many of these states.
One point of contention will be between India and China. China has always assisted Pakistan .... and India has a long history of conflict with both of these countries. As a result, both countries can now be seen positioning themselves to have an advantage over the other in the event of any future disagreement or conflict through nuclear pacts and military treaties/cooperation.