ISLAMABAD -- There was a familiar ring to recent allegations in U.S. newspapers, reportedly based on intelligence sources, that China is continuing to aid Pakistan's plans to build long-range nuclear-capable missiles. It is not the first time such allegations have surfaced in the United States, especially in the midst of a presidential electoral race, when passions run high and U.S. China policy is hotly debated.
For Pakistan, the blessing this time around may be that the focus is primarily on China. Islamabad, in keeping with past practice, denied the charges.
For the global nonproliferation community, this is hardly the end of the China-Pakistan missile-cum-nuclear-collaboration issue. In time, there will certainly be further allegations, some genuine, some prompted by political considerations.