Wait for it

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani started a four-day official visit to China recently. The visit, weeks after the U.S. killing of Osama bin Laden on May 2, is drawing a great deal of media attention around the world.

The U.S. operation on Pakistani soil was carried out with Islamabad apparently kept in the dark. Since then, the two sides have collided over questions such as whether the U.S. operation infringed upon Pakistan's sovereignty and whether Islamabad had been shielding world's No. 1 terrorist in recent years.

Given the all-weather friendship between Beijing and Islamabad, there has been some speculation that Gilani's visit to China is a move to seek support amid the growing tensions in U.S.-Pakistani ties.

China hopes to see U.S.-Pakistani relations improve as it is in the same boat with the two countries in fighting terrorism. During the third round of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, Beijing and Washington agreed to hold the eighth US-China counter-terrorism consultation this year. Beijing also recognizes the important role that the U.S. plays in the Asia-Pacific region.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., recently visited Islamabad, becoming the first high-level American official to visit Pakistan since the death of the al-Qaida leader. He will be followed by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

It is hoped this diplomacy will help mend the fences and deepen mutual trust between Islamabad and Washington, so that the two countries can continue their cooperation in the war against terror.

However, Pakistan's sincerity in the anti-terror crusade should not be questioned as the country has borne and continues to bear the brunt of international terrorism.

Any over-interpretation of Gilani's ongoing visit to China will prove to be superficial and speculative.

- China Today, Beijing