Despite the urge to simplify and keep on targeting the current CoAS, Pakistan has to maintain ties with both China and the US. This is not a zero sum game which is what IK had cornered Pakistan into with his ill-advised statements and inaction on some of the diplomatic fronts.
Pakistan has the following dependencies (not a comprehensive list but a starting point) on the US/West currently incase its lost on some people:
a) Budget deficit - IMF/WB support to ensure we can pay our import bill [China, Gulf will not support bi-lateral facilities unless the IMF has approved a plan for Pakistan to get its economy back on track, otherwise all these countries are worried that they are putting their money into a bottomless pit with no guarantees that they will see their loans getting serviced (paid back) by Pakistan.]
b) Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) dependencies - FATF progression to whitelist to ensure we can get open, uninterrupted FDI which is essential for the overall growth of the economy. Without this, we cannot grow the net-size of the economy.
c) EU GSP+ status
d) Alignment on Afghanistan - Getting the West's support to help Afghanistan economically otherwise we have another massive economic basket case, along with our own to deal with.
e) Security alignment - Most of our major weapon systems are of US/Western origin and continued maintenance, upgrades and new acquisitions are tied with our ties to these countries. Case in point is that of Turkey having walked away from the US and then back to the US camp facing the reality that neither Russia, nor their own indigenous capabilities can fill the gap in the absence of US/Western weapons. Our situation is further complicated with the massive injection of western military technology finding its way into the Indian military.
f) Maintaining a semblance of ties with the US to ensure that they can be at least a broker (even if not a fair one) on the India/Kashmir situation. In the absence of the US, talks between Pak-India are not going to happen.
They are well within their right to evaluate but nothing earth-shattering in this regard is happening. If anything, Pak-China will see even more focused alignment in the coming years given what else is happening around the region and specifically in the pacific.
Please elaborate on what you mean by "It's proven to be an unstable and unreliable partner" with facts!
I have seen the same being repeated a few times by you on this forum with nothing factual in support.
a: IMF is not giving you money as of now, even after doing everything state can.
b: FATF won't make any difference in FDI, it depends on ease of doing business and investor perception.
c: The only thing Pakistan should have taken advantage would have been textile, after current hike in energy prices, pak industries won't be competitive enough.
d: Not much has been done on ground, just the talk, meanwhile Pak mil is negotiating with TTP, and India is in talks with Taliban, basically Afg would become hostile in future.
e: Pak has failed in neither aligning itself with china nor it would be able to go western camp for weapons. There is and would be trust deficit between **** generals and chinese CP, as it is evident when coas went to china recently, no high person met him. India is cashing in both russia and west by being an independent country.
f: The biggest failure for pakistani decision makers in the past and will remain so in future for pak foreign or economic policy is to be reliant on others to resolve its issues, whereas completely failing to address or even identify issues internally.
Pak-China relations would depend on the economic and political situation of pakistan, as china is no more soft when it comes to US, so if Pak tried to double play itself (in the name of balancing), it will only get caught in more trouble.
China knows very well where does most **** generals and COAS invest money and live after retirement. Why was Asim Bajwa removed from CPEC? IMO China pak relations will become transactional and that too if Pak is able economically support itself.
