Author: Rahul Datta, in Delhi
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: February 14, 2001
China is actively helping Pakistan
to produce weapons grade Plutonium from spent fuel despite assurances to
the United States of America that it would desist from supplying nuclear
weapon technology to a third country.
Pakistan's New Laboratories, PINSTECH(NLP),
is an unsafeguarded re-processing facility designed to produce weapons
grade plutonium from spent fuel. Finding it difficult to get specific items
for the NLP from the West, Pakistan has reportedly tied up with Chinese
companies to get these parts, if necessary through clandestine means from
the West.
A Chinese company, Seventh Design
and Research Institute under the Chinese ministry of machinery industry
is one of the collaborators, the prestigious Security and Political Risk
Analysis (SAPRA) journal has revealed in its January issue. SAPRA is a
non-governmental think tank analysing national and international security
scenario.
The journal says the Chinese company
recently transferred 50 ceramic capacitors to NLP through an unspecified
"special project." The Chinese company was paid through a classified bank
account maintained by a top ranking Pakistani embassy official in Beijing.
He is believed to be operating several bank accounts for transferring money
to Chinese companies for various jobs. The official's shopping list, according
to SAPRA, includes master slave manipulators used for handling radioactive
material.
China is also helping Pakistan obtain
critical spare parts for the 300MW Chasma Nuclear power plant (CHASNUPP)
built by the Chinese. Although most Western countries have refused to sell
China these spares for use in Pakistan, Pakistan hopes to get the required
item directly or with the help of China. CHASNUPP is the first major commercial
nuclear power project to be exported by China. Given its growing stakes
in Pakistan, China will continue to help Pakistan develop weapons of mass
destruction and ballistic missiles, the journal points out.
Chinese officials have maintained
that their relations with Pakistan are guided by commercial principles.
While China might not want a conflict with India, it will do everything
in its power to keep India on the backfoot and entangled in subcontinental
affairs, the bulletin claims.
Explaining the motive behind supplying
nuclear capable missiles to Pakistan and some other Islamic countries,
the journal says China wants to project itself as an ally against US-Israeli
domination of the Middle-east. This has improved China's standing as a
potential superpower, apart from creating goodwill in the oil rich states.
Apart from the financial incentives, China is also positioning itself as
an alternate supplier of relatively modern weaponry, according to the journal.
India should not expect military
assistance from the US, especially where critical technologies are concerned.
Indian long-term security is definitely threatened by China's continued
missile technology proliferation and is likely to accelerate counter measure
development, the journal believes.
