New era in CPEC

China and Pakistan are marshalling their line of interaction in the new age. With a time-tested relationship, both the countries are thinking big and choreographing plans for promoting bilateralism, and ensuring a peaceful region by ushering in connectivity. The resolve was reiterated by Chinese President Xi Jinping who said that Beijing is closely working with Islamabad to achieve ‘high-standard and sustainable outcomes’. He went on to reassure that China would always stand firm with Pakistan regardless of any change in the international landscape. These are big words and go on to cement an indispensable relationship at a time when the region and the world at large are restructuring new economic and security alliances.

The gesture from the Chinese head of state was reciprocated by Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir by pledging to improve overall planning and deepen cooperation, and carry forward the ironclad friendship in all walks of national life. He also noted that bilateral relationship has proven its resilience in the face of all challenges, and hoped that it will scale new heights. This euphoria is a follow-up to the visit of Chinese Prime Minister He Lifeng to Pakistan to mark the successful completion of the first decade of CPEC. This initiative, which has poured in to this day around $28 billion in infrastructure and energy sectors, has seen relationships go up in leap and bounds. It has also come up as an avenue of strong trans-regionalism by facilitating intra-state trade in Southwest Asia and beyond.

The need of the hour is to ensure that CPEC is not swayed with turmoil and upheavals. With lack of permanent peace in Afghanistan, acrimonious India-Pakistan ties and an unabated meddling by external forces, both state and non-state, it comes as a challenge to keep the torch of development alight. This is what Xi meant as he said that the landscape twists in international relations should not impact bilateralism. As CPEC enters the industrialisation phase, Pakistan’s economy must see itself graduating to the next orbit of evolution, free from input of cash tranches to keep it afloat.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4^th, 2023.

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