Pakistan and China agree on new fighter jets By Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington Published: May 9 2005 19:58 / Last updated: May 10 2005 00:05
Pakistan and China have agreed to start joint production of a new fighter aircraft intended as a replacement for the ageing French and Chinese aircraft used by Pakistan's Air Force, a senior Pakistani airforce officer said on Monday.
The agreement comes only two months after the US offered to sell F-16 fighter aircraft to Pakistan, reversing sanctions applied almost 15 years ago over Islamabad's nuclear weapons programme.
The move also comes as the US voices concern about the rise of the Chinese military. China passed an anti-secession law in March that would require its military to use force to block any Taiwanese moves towards independence.
Tom Donnelly, defence analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, said the new JF-17 could enhance China's ability to intimidate Taiwan and mount an air campaign following a missile attack on the island.
“These are pieces of the puzzle that China are putting together that work together very well in a complementary fashion,” said Mr Donnelly. “Each piece per se you would be able to deal with, but it will all complicate a quick US response [to any attack on Taiwan].”
John Pike, defence analyst at GlobalSecurity.org, says it is not clear whether China would buy the jet. But he says they likely would buy some to complement the Chinese-built J-10, which is replacing China's aging fleet of Soviet-ear jets.
"The US would have to be concerned about what it might do with respect to Taiwan," said Mr Pike. The first four of the JF-17 “Thunder” aircraft would be delivered to Pakistan next year for trial flights, while the supply of 150 aircraft would begin in 2007, said Air Vice Marshal Shahid Latif, project director.
China's Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute is the architect of the JF-17 while its prototypes, first flown last year by Pakistani test pilots, were made by the Chengdu Aircraft Company based in Sichuan province.
“The [JF-17] project is not only of strategic importance to the air force but it has far-reaching implications both for the national defence and economic prosperity of Pakistan,” Air Vice Marshal Latif said in a rare press briefing.
Pakistan and China were planning to produce at least 400 JF-17 fighters, with the balance of 250 of them on order for China's airforce. Pakistani air force officials said that, under the agreement between their two countries, half the fighters would be produced on an assembly line in China while the other half would be made in Pakistan.
But some analysts said the JF-17 would not pose any threat to the US. "If you want hundreds of planes to look size a sizable air force, it comes in handy," said Richard Aboulafia, aviation analyst at the Teal Group. "It does not come in handy in any other circumstances. If you put it head to head against an F-16 it would probably last about 5 seconds."
Michael O'Hanlon, defence analyst at the Brookings Institution, said the US was less concerned with fighter jets produced by China.
"These are a couple of middle range technological powers," said Mr O'Hanlon. "I worry a lot more about Soviet-era MiGs and Su-27s and Israeli command and control and any help with their pilot training.”
A Pakistani government official said the JF-17 project was being pursued with a view to exporting the fighter to other countries.
“It's the first time China plans to export the JF-17 to another country and Pakistan's experience could help China with its future marketing efforts.”
One US Senate aide said the move by Pakistan was partly aimed at reducing its dependency on the US to provide fighter jets.
Bush is planning to replace Pakistan’s Musharraf with US candidate, Benazir Bhutto, and thus attempt to insure that not only any plans for a permanent Chinese naval base in Gawdar Port near the Strait of Hormuz are curtailed or canned but that China does not have an energy corridor through Pakistan. #msg-6055889
Writing for the New York Times, Nayan Chanda, former editor of Far Eastern Economic Review, says, "Port's projected size and strategic location have sent ripples of anxiety through Washington, Tokyo and New Delhi about the potential establishment of a permanent Chinese naval presence near the Strait of Hormuz, through which 40 per cent of the world's oil passes. #msg-6106071 #msg-5985617
This sounds like Pakistan and China consider the US to be behind the deaths of the three Chinese engineers.
Talking about the deaths of three Chinese engineers, who were murdered in Hub, he said, “They targeted them to sabotage Pakistan’s progress and drive a wedge between the two countries.”
Pakistan will stand by China against US ‘siege’, says Rashid
Thursday, February 23, 2006
BEIJING: Pakistan will stand by China if the US ever tries to “besiege” it, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has said. He said this while talking to a private television channel in Beijing on Wednesday.
Rashid said that President Pervez Musharraf’s visit to China will open new avenues of development and cooperation between the two countries in all sectors. Pakistan and China have signed 42 bilateral agreements during the president’s current visit, 13 of which have been reached at the government level and 27 are between the traders and entrepreneurs of both countries.
These accords are aimed at boosting cooperation in economy, defence, trade and the social sector. The information minister said that Pakistan and China are jointly manufacturing an F-17 thunder combat aircraft. He said that the test-flight of a second combat plane, an F-10, is scheduled for today (Thursday).
He said that Musharraf told the Chinese leadership that Pakistan wanted full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). He said that Russian President Vladimir Putin, due to visit China next month, along with the Chinese leadership will help Pakistan acquire SCO membership. Cooperation of other SCO members – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – will also be sought, he said.
The president also expressed condolences for the killing of three Chinese engineers in Balochistan, he said. agencies
* Says Chinese involvement integral for country’s development * Reiterates killing of Chinese would not harm Sino-Pak ties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan wants to act as a trade corridor for Chinese exports to the rest of the world and is also interested in setting up an energy corridor for China, if it is technically feasible, said President Pervez Musharraf.
Speaking to a group of Chinese journalists, he said China was helping Pakistan with several development projects that were integral for the country’s progress. The development projects would sustain economic activity in the country, alleviate poverty, end unemployment and help fight extremism, he said. He said Pakistan would be extremely happy if the Chinese came into the country for joint ventures, trade and investment.
Talking about the deaths of three Chinese engineers, who were murdered in Hub, he said, “They targeted them to sabotage Pakistan’s progress and drive a wedge between the two countries.” President Musharraf, who will be leaving on a five-day visit to China from February 19, said the incident had soured the mood of his visit, but was confident that such elements would never succeed in their designs, ie create a rift between Pakistan and China. “Our strong friendship with China will not be affected and we will be able to suppress these elements,” he said.
The president said Pakistan would increase its collaboration with China in the war against terror, adding that the two countries were already sharing intelligence.
He said that extremism and terrorism were complex issues and needed to be tackled delicately. “We can curb terrorism with the use of force, but not extremism,” he said.
Talking about economic cooperation with China, he said that several projects, including the expansion of the Gwadar dam project and the Chashma II nuclear power project, had been undertaken with China’s help. He hoped that during his visit, “we will broaden our cooperation and reach agreements which will be beneficial for our relations with China.” He said that he looked forward to broad-based discussion on all political, commercial ties, defence and nuclear aspects with the Chinese leadership.
Musharraf said that China was assisting Pakistan with development projects in the fields of communications, nuclear energy, defence production and defence training, health and education. President Musharraf also told the Chinese journalists about the improvement of road links with China to allow for larger vehicles with heavier payloads to pass through the Karakoram Highway. He also said that China and Pakistan would cooperate in the sphere of higher education, adding that Pakistan looked forward to Chinese assistance in improving the local faculty and PhD programmes. app
NEW YORK (Online) - PPP Chairperson and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto has warned that “Pakistani Hamas” could come into power any time if moderate political parties and the real representatives of the masses were barred from contesting the elections, saying if that happened it would be very dangerous. Responding to queries in a prominent live American television programme “Washington Journal”, Benazir said that pro-Taliban extremists had been carrying out acts of terrorism in some remote tribal areas, including Bajaur and Waziristan, as the government had failed to establish its writ there. She alleged that the government was hiding facts from the public and even denying access to mediamen to these areas. “And if any journalist goes there, he either goes missing or is killed.” The PPP Chairperson said that the element of extremism was emerging in the youth in the Muslim world because the dictators did not want to take dictation. To a query, she feared that nuclear weapons might go into the hands of extremists if extremism was not stopped. She, however, said that the people of Pakistan were moderate and enlightened and it were the dictators who had deprived them of their due rights. The former premier said that General Pervez Musharraf had seized power with his military might. She, however, praised Musharraf for backing the war on terrorism that had been initiated after the 9/11 incidents in the US and normalising relations with India. About corruption cases against her, Benazir maintained that the present Musharraf regime had filed false cases against her just to embarrass her. To another question, she said the world community should not halt aid to Hamas. Meanwhile, Benazir Bhutto, who now has an Interpol Red Corner Notice issued against her, told TIMES NOW that she had definite plans of returning to Pakistan to challenge Musharraf politically. And now she’s challenged Musharraf to stop her if he can. In an exclusive interview to Arnav Goswami in the flagship TIMES NOW show - Frankly Speaking - just before the Red Corner Notice was issued against her, Benazir spoke at length about her firm decision to end eight years of political exile from Pakistan, and return to contest elections in Pakistan. “Stop me if you can,” said Benazir. “I plan to go back for the elections. In 2007 or maybe in 2006. At best I will be allowed to freely participate in them. At worst not. If I am allowed, it will help the party. If not, it will tarnish the process of elections and the return to democracy. It will in fact motivate our workers to work harder.” Asked what message she wanted to give to General Musharraf, Benazir said: “Musharraf knows that I’m going back to politics. And he has to stop me if he can. If he can’t then he’ll have to rig the elections more and I would like to tell him to stop it. Stop it. Think of the country. Respect the will of the people. The founding fathers made a vow. I want him to remember that vow and think that everyone’s time comes and goes. Does he want to be remembered as just another dictator who was kicked out by the forces of history!” When told that in the eyes of Pakistani law she is still an absconder, Benazir said: “I’m not an absconder. I have not refused to answer charges. The government has wrongfully called me an absconder because they do not want me to be a member of Parliament. “I left with the permission of the court. The court has exempted me from personal appearance but if my petition is heard which has been languishing under the diktat of the military then I am automatically an MP. I’m ready to go back to take my oath.” Benazir also made it clear that there is a growing political relationship between her and her one-time sworn political rival Nawaz Sharif. In a strategy that seems aimed at forgetting past differences to try and emerge as the resident face of the pro-democracy movement once she returns to Pakistan, Benazir said Nawaz Sharif and the PPP had overcome the past. Asked about the present political relationship between her and Nawaz, Benazir said: “We are both committed to the withdrawal of the military from the political affairs of Pakistan.” But Benazir got upset when asked how she could join hands with someone accused of trying to break down democratic institutions in Pakistan. “Don’t keep taking me of the past,” she said. “Yes these things happened and at that time we opposed it. Of course, I remember.”
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