China's deepening role in Pakistan's nuclear development

International concerns have been raised by Pakistan's growing nuclear arsenal, while Beijing has faced much criticism for its co-operation over nuclear energy with Islamabad.

Pakistan's newly elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who turned the country nuclear in 1998, sought Chinese assistance in the field of civil nuclear technology to overcome the country's energy crisis during a meeting with visiting Premier Li Keqiang in Islamabad last month.

Indeed, there are indications that nuclear co-operation is now going to be the prime driver of the Sino-Pakistan strategic partnership. Sharif's government has reportedly decided to launch work on a 1.1 GW nuclear power plant in Karachi with Chinese assistance.

One aspect cannot be ignored: China has deepened co-operation largely in response to the civil nuclear energy deal signed between the US and India in 2008. That deal opened up a US$150 billion market for US nuclear trade with India, which was controversially granted an exemption from the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Neither India nor Pakistan, arch-rivals in many aspects, have joined the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, yet both possess nuclear arsenals. The US denied Pakistan a civilian nuclear deal, saying that it first had to improve its nuclear proliferation record.

So instead, the country has got what it needs from China.