Andrew Small, The China-Pakistan Axis: Asia's New Geopolitics

摘要

Andrew Small begins his book with an anecdote that involves posing a provocative question to several of his interviewees: "what does Pakistan actually do for China?". Small argues that "the answers that come back are often a little lackluster," but what Beijing is doing is investing "in its own geopolitical well-being" that is "to be pursued regardless" of any "quid pro-quo" from Pakistan (p. 3). China's investment in a nuclear-armed Pakistan is a strategic hedge not just against India, but also against the United States, and it has helped China to secure its far western regions. Small quotes a Chinese general—Xiong Guangkai—who sees Pakistan as "China's Israel," which aptly sums up the nature of China-Pakistan axis (p. 1). According to some Pakistani and Chinese strategists interviewed for this book, they believe that investing in Pakistan with no return to show for is equivalent to "American strategic generosity towards India." This belief is widely prevalent in Beijing and Islamabad, and reveals Pakistan's singular obsession with India, which is the "strategic glue" that binds the China-Pakistan axis that Andrew Small's book thoroughly and superbly captures.