Xi in Pakistan to work for real mutual benefits

Because of the sheer scope of China's financial commitment to meeting Pakistan's infrastructure and energy needs, as well as that country's peculiar geopolitical position in South Asia, President Xi Jinping's visit to Islamabad is being read by outsiders as a power play.

But that is a thorough misunderstanding of the Sino-Pakistani relationship.

For outsiders, the obvious disparity between the two immediate neighbors, in size, national strength and plenty of other aspects sets the stage for an unequal relationship.