Pakistan wants to act as bridge between China, US: PM Imran

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan enjoys good relationship with both China and the United States and wants to play the same “instrumental role of the 1970s” that had brought Washington and Beijing closer.

In an exclusive interview with Liu Xin of CGTN’s The Point, the prime minister emphasised that his priority in Pakistan was the uplift of 220 million people which was also linked with peace and stability.

“We have a good relationship with the US and also an iron-brother relationship with China. We want to play the role of 1970s, when Pakistan was instrumental in getting the United States and China together,” Imran said.

The prime minister was referring to the historic breakthrough in the Sino-US relations in 1971, which was made possible due to the pivotal role played by Pakistan. “The famous visit of Henry Kissinger [the then US secretary of state] was organised by Pakistan, so we hope to play that [same] role,” Imran said.

When asked if Pakistan could face challenges due to rising tension between China and the US, Imran stressed that the world did not need another cold war between the two powers and expressed his desire that the situation did not escalate to a point, where one had to choose sides.

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“The world should not go through the situation where it is divided into two camps and it does not benefit anyone,” Imran said. “I hope that this does not escalate into another cold war where we have to choose sides,” he added.

According to the prime minister, his priority was the uplift of 220 million Pakistanis, which, he added, was linked with peace and stability. “I will get my people out of poverty if we have economic well-being, which comes with stability and peace,” he said. “So, if you have conflicts, the first thing that gets affected is the economy and that’s the last thing we want.”

When asked about the impact of Pakistan-China “all-weather strategic ties” on the region, particularly Afghanistan, Imran replied that there was a consensus between Pakistan and China on how the two sides could cooperate in bringing stability and prosperity.

He pointed out that no country had suffered more because of the 40-year Afghan conflict other than Pakistan. He emphasised that it was for the first time, there was an opportunity of restoring peace in the war-torn country.

He added that Pakistan, China and other European states had agreed that “somehow likes and dislikes of the Taliban government should be set aside and the only thing in minds should be the 40 million people of Afghanistan – half of them in a very precarious position of food insecurity”.

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About the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) bringing a direct investment of over $25 billion along with job creation in the past eight years, Imran said that the project was significant for the economy and development of Pakistan.

The Chinese investment for connectivity and power generation, he said, came at a very crucial time in Pakistan when the country faced economic problems following the war against terrorism. Besides, he added, the previous tenures of the “two very corrupt governments also caused the financial crisis”.

“China came in at the most difficult time for us, which is also one of the reasons why there is such a love here for the people of China,” he said. “CPEC is entering the second stage of investment in industrial zones, information technology, and agriculture,” he added.

He said Pakistan, being an agricultural country needed investment and productivity in agriculture sector. In this regard, the prime minister further said, a memorandum of understanding had already been signed with China.

About the areas for cooperation in the future, the prime minister said the emphasis of his government was on geo-economics rather than the earlier geo-strategic concept and thus looked towards China as a role model of development.

Prime Minister Imran Khan mentioned that almost 20% population of Pakistan lived below the poverty line, adding that the Chinese model of poverty alleviation through wealth creation was an inspiration to be followed.

On Chinese cooperation during Covid-19, the prime minister said that China helped Pakistan soon after the breakout of the pandemic by providing assistance and vaccines. “We learned a lot from China because as the pandemic spread, we immediately had very close contacts,” he said.