China and Pakistan: Why a sour note has seeped into 'sweeter than honey' ties

Islamabad is in a fix on how to assuage Beijing's growing anger over attacks on Chinese nationals.

- Ravi Velloor

Over the weekend, when I called a friend in Lahore, he was venting heavily over a host of issues.

The political crisis in Pakistan caused by the continued imprisonment of former prime minister Imran Khan, possibly the nation's most popular public figure, was causing inconvenient lockdowns. In some places, there were internet shutdowns as the administration tried to control the public outcry.

Winter air pollution - Lahore, despite its beauty, ranks alongside New Delhi as one of the most polluted cities in the world - was causing heavy distress, especially to those with weak lungs.

If Pakistanis and their government did not have enough to worry about, a surprising new wrinkle has appeared - in external relations, and with China of all countries.

The issue relates to Chinese unhappiness over a spate of attacks on its nationals deployed to Pakistan to work on infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative. Recently, China's Ambassador to Islamabad Jiang Zaidong even went public with his concerns. President Xi Jinping, he said, "cares about the security of the Chinese people in Pakistan". It was simply "unacceptable" that there have been two attacks against Chinese nationals in under six months, he added.

His remarks fetched a tetchy response from the Pakistani Foreign Office that the envoy's remarks were "perplexing". It marked a rare pushback from Pakistan against its most vital security partner.

Apparently, Beijing had told Islamabad that if Pakistan cannot take care of the problem, China should be allowed to fix it.