VZCZCXRO6836
OO RUEHCN
DE RUEHBJ #4020/01 0621211
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 031211Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9301
INFO RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 6300
RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 4016
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHJJAA/JICPAC HONOLULU HI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 004020 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/03/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV CH
SUBJECT: PRC/PAKISTAN: PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF'S VISIT TO 
BEIJING 
 
REF: OSC CPP20060221332013 
 
Classified By: Political External Unit Chief Edgard 
Kagan. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's 
February 19-23 visit to China appears to have gone 
predictably well, with no real surprises other than a 
strong push to join the Shanghai Cooperation 
Organization as a full member.  The largely pro-forma 
MFA readout called the trip a success and highlighted 
the meeting between Musharraf and President Hu Jintao 
as particularly productive.  Beyond the Joint 
Statement signed by the two countries, the other 
bilateral documents trumpeted by the PRC press are 
only agreements in principle.  Pakistan asked Beijing 
to increase pressure on India to take positive steps 
towards resolving the Kashmir crisis.  The MFA briefer 
said China maintains a positive attitude towards 
Pakistan's participation in the Shanghai Cooperation 
Organization (SCO).  A Pakistan Embassy officer said 
Musharraf's goal was to raise Pakistan-China relations 
to a new level and that Pakistan is particularly 
interested in benefiting from PRC policies to support 
economic growth in China's western provinces.  The 
officer stressed Pakistani interest in joining the SCO 
as a full member as soon as possible, claiming that 
Pakistan views the SCO as the most important regional 
organization in which it participates.  He also said 
that Pakistan will never be able to trust India and 
must rely on its "good friends" to keep India in 
check.  Preparations are underway for President Hu to 
visit Pakistan.  End Summary. 
 
MFA Briefing on Musharraf's Visit 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) President Musharraf and President Hu Jintao had 
very productive meetings that promoted the overall 
development of friendly relations between their two 
countries, stated MFA Asian Department Deputy Director 
for Pakistan Affairs Ms. Wang Lixin.  Wang provided a 
readout of the visit on February 27 to Poloff and a 
South Korean Embassy officer.  The briefing hewed 
closely to official Chinese press coverage of the 
visit, and recapped the Joint Statement the two 
leaders signed (ref).  Wang stated that Musharraf's 
visit kicked off a year of activities celebrating the 
55th anniversary of diplomatic relations.  When asked 
about future plans or whether or not Hu would visit 
Pakistan, Wang replied that no decisions had been 
made.  Wang said that in every meeting President 
Musharraf emphasized that Pakistan and China should 
work together to expand economic cooperation and 
should strive to improve people to people contact.  He 
also repeatedly extended condolences for the three 
Chinese engineers killed in a terrorist attack in 
Balochistan in February.  The two countries signed 13 
bilateral agreements, but when pressed for details, 
Wang admitted that the documents only represent 
agreements on general principles. 
 
¶3. (C) Wang said Musharraf raised the Kashmir issue 
with Hu, expressing concern that the militants are 
gaining strength and that the "world is losing the 
opportunity" to end this dispute.  Musharraf 
reportedly asked Beijing to increase pressure on India 
to take positive steps towards resolving the dispute. 
 
¶4. (C) Musharraf thanked the PRC for its support of 
Islamabad's participation in the Shanghai Cooperation 
Organization (SCO) as an observer, according to Wang. 
Pakistan wants full membership in the SCO as soon as 
possible.  China holds a positive attitude toward 
Pakistan's participation in the SCO, but according to 
Wang China must adhere to and abide by the SCO Charter 
as well as respect the opinions of the other SCO 
members.  Hu Jintao extended an invitation to 
Musharraf to attend the SCO Summit in mid-June. 
 
Pakistan Diplomat's Perspective 
------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) The goal of President Musharraf's visit to 
Beijing was to raise Pakistan-China relations to a new 
level of cooperation, according to Pakistan Embassy 
officer S. Naveed Safdar Bokhari who participated in 
Musharraf's meetings.  In a March 2 meeting with 
 
BEIJING 00004020  002 OF 002 
 
 
poloff, Bokhari said the overall Pakistan-China 
relationship is developing well. According to Bokhari, 
Pakistan hopes to benefit from China's domestic 
economic policy to promote economic growth in its 
western provinces and that Musharraf urged cooperation 
in repairing and expanding the Karakoram highway. 
Bokhari argued that Pakistan can never trust India 
even though he acknowledged that relations are 
beginning to thaw.  Pakistan still relies on its "good 
friends" to keep India in check, according to Bokhari. 
 
¶6. (C) Bokhari stated that Pakistan considers the SCO 
to be the most important regional organization it 
participates in and places greater value on it than 
the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation 
(SAARC). He characterized the SAARC as a stagnant 
organization while claiming that the SCO is an 
association that includes some of the world's major 
powers.  Through its participation in the SCO, 
Pakistan has been able to revive its bilateral 
relationship with Russia, according to Bokhari. 
Pakistan understands that the SCO Charter must be 
amended before new members can join the organization 
but is hopeful that progress will be made at the mid- 
June Summit.  Bokhari confirmed that Hu Jintao 
personally invited Musharraf to attend the Summit and 
said that either Musharraf or the Prime Minister will 
attend. 
 
¶7. (C) Musharaff reiterated Pakistan's standing 
invitation to Hu Jintao to visit Pakistan.  Bokhari 
claims that preparations are underway and that 
Pakistani Embassy officials have met with their MFA 
counterparts to discuss a Hu visit. 
Sedney