By Ali Abbas
States are pursing Geo-economics as an instrument to cooperate and integrate with other communities in the world. The economic cooperation, economic investments, business deals are effective tools for conducting and shaping foreign policy of the countries.
Pakistan and China as all-weather allies, partners are turning their relations into more economic and trade cooperation. For this purpose, China-Pakistan economic corridor is evident and considers as most effective and heavy economic investment relations between two neighboring countries. Simultaneously, both countries are achieving their interests by cooperating in different economic and development sectors. It is also challenging for both countries to sustain and stable economic activities under the shadow of regional security atmosphere.
The relations between China and Pakistan are based on mutual interests, mutual trust, geo-strategic and now turned into geo-economics. The leadership of the both countries have been engaged into multidimensional relations from geo-strategic to geo-economic. Pakistan’s top foreign policy objective and one of the most important element is to have better strategic and economic relations with China. It is an open truth that both countries have supported and cooperated with each other in difficult times. This multidimensional relationship has been turned into a huge regional economic connectivity.
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is an opportunity for both countries to connect other regional countries and engage in a sustainable economic activity with a win-win approach. It is the foundation of strategic allies to pursue their interests through economic cooperation and regional integration. The economic corridor between China and Pakistan pronounced when China is economically rising and interested to take greater part in the regional and global political structure and environment. It seems that Chinese foreign policy is becoming more oriented towards economic and trade cooperation with other nations.
The long existing strategic relations of China and Pakistan are gradually moving towards economic oriented and also can see as foreign policy priorities of both countries and the economic engagement is taking a concrete shape slowly. CPEC is expected to enlarge and expand to provide interconnectivity with Iran, Afghanistan and also the Central Asian Republics. Actually, the Central Asian states are landlocked they always look for regional countries like Pakistan, China for business and sea transit routes.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will definitely offer them the occasion to transportation of their products and engage in economic integration with regional states. The main sectors involved under the CPEC such as Infrastructure development, cooperation in energy sector, Gwadar deep-sea port, social sector development and companies, banks, firms.
The China-Pakistan economic corridor is gradually influencing the regional security and economic dynamics. The regional security environment is too complex to understand and uncertain with the huge rivalries and involvement of world great powers in Afghanistan.
The traditional rivalry between India and Pakistan, the uncertain security environment in Afghanistan makes the regional environment complex. At this point, the role of China is crucial, although china has been organizing economic activities and connecting regional countries to engage in a rich economic development and trade activities rather than confrontation and conflictual issues.
For a rich economic activities Pakistan can also play its due role along with China by expanding China-Pakistan Economic corridor to other regional countries. By using these economic tendencies and strategies, both countries can turn the conflict prone region into economic zone. All conflictual tendencies and trends can undermine progressively by growing economic integration and cooperation.
China and Pakistan has initiated a trilateral mechanism and dialogue with Afghanistan, it can also help both countries to expand economic corridor to Afghanistan under the umbrella of BRI. The purpose is to bring Pakistan and Afghanistan on table for a peaceful and stable regional environment and to make both countries as major stakeholders in the region. Pakistan is now already benefiting and likely to be self-sufficient with these huge energy projects.
Furthermore, the infrastructure development and development of communication sector by constructing and building highways and rail network will open a new economic doors for Pakistan to create and make huge foreign investments and also can transform the country into a potential global market. Pakistan can position itself as economic hub in the South Asian region by motivating all other neighboring and regional nations to use the transit route under the China-Pakistan Economic corridor to expand their trade across Middle East region, Africa and even Europe.
Author: Ali Abbas – PhD Scholar at the School of Politics and International Studies, Central China Normal University Wuhan. He holds M.Phil. Degree in International Relations from National Defence University Islamabad, Pakistan. His Ph.D. research focuses on the Strategic triangular relationship between Pakistan-China and the USA in the 21st century. His research area of interest further includes South Asian studies, Extremism, and terrorism, foreign policy of great powers. He writes in China Daily, Modern Diplomacy, Eurasia Review, South Asian Journal, World Geostrategic Insights and Always CCNU Magazine. Currently he is working as Editor of “Always CCNU” Magazine.
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