The chapter consists of highlighting how CPEC initiated and linked China to the Arabian Sea by the shortest route through Pakistan. The chapter then elaborates Chinese and Pakistani relations in detail started from the birth of the PRC to the current joint venture of CPEC. This part of the work also covers Beijing's short- and long-term interests for they invest billions of dollars in the war torn state of Pakistan. Firstly, it defines CPEC in the contour of BRI that covers the regions of Asia, Africa, and Europe including more than 64 countries of these regions with investment of trillions of dollars to maintain the Chinese economic growth that has lasted for three decades. Secondly, with special reference to CPEC, PRC expects the shortest route to connect Kashghar with the Indian Ocean and permanently put an end to the Malacca dilemma. Thirdly, the study identifies Pakistan as a strong counter actor to India. Finally, it explains their political, diplomatic, economic, and strategic interests associated to the flagship project.
TopIntroduction
China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), from its commencement is a hotly debated phenomenon among the scholars, think tank organizations and policy institutions across the World. It’s a joint venture of both the iron brothers of China and Pakistan that connect Kashghar to Gwadar deep sea port that ultimately links western China through the Indian Ocean to Middle East, Europe and Africa (Rakisits, 2015). This project will ensure billions of dollars investment from China to Pakistan that will developed its underdeveloped regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Baluchistan through a network of roads, railway lines, bridges and other modern means of communications (Ahmar, 2014). It will also benefit China’s most backward region of Xinjiang by giving direct access to Arabian Sea through Gawadar Sea port (Tariq Ali, 2022). The corridor will connect the two partners strategically and economically through the transportations of millions of tons of goods from China to Middle East, African countries and to the big market of Europe (McCartney, 2022). This corridor not only links the time tested friends but will also connect the major regions of Asia including Central Asia, West Asia, Middle East and Eastern and Western Europe (Ahmed, 2019). For Pakistan, it would not be wrong that for the first time in the history of Pakistan it could get the fruits of its geo-strategic position and economic rebirth (Ahmar, 2015).
The 21st century dominated by the regional and World strategic environment across the World that led to the development and establishment of geo-strategic and geo-economic partnership among the allied states (Jackson, 2013). The driving force behind this partnership is state national interests and national security for that states reshaped its policies and strategies because it could no longer achieve the national interest and security alone and without partnership and alliance system but this alliance system is different from the one which has been practiced in 19th and 20th centuries, it is both economic and political partnership (Xuetong, 2006). The core of these partnerships growing cooperation among the states in the areas of industrial projects, infrastructure development, defense, commerce, and other economic areas that promotes cooperation and peace in the region and across the World (Massarrat Abid, 2015).
The role of China realized by everyone in the World that has been changed from a third World and rigid state to international norms and institutions to more vibrant and flexible actor that share responsibility of being not only an economic power but also an political stake holder in the contemporary World economic and political order (Laffan, 2018). In this regard Beijing is playing a central role not only in Asia but across the globe due to its largest status in the World in terms of population and the second largest economy in the World (Rosecrance, 2006). After achieving the economic power status, now Beijing set its stage for the World multilateral diplomatic revolution which was the missing and ignored chapter of Chinese foreign relations, But it doesn’t mean that PRC will replace it economic policies for the sake of diplomatic mission rather this rapid diplomatic activities will boost-up the existence Chinese rising economic position in the World (Massarrat Abid, 2015).
The rise of China as an economic and political power has a lot of questions for the western World in general and particularly for the region alongside of China (Li, 2005). To make it clear and to show the real motives of China being a rising power, the PRC leadership introduced the “Good Neighbor Policy” in 2003 when Hu Jintao came to power as a president. According to this strategy Beijing tried to realize that China sought to promote independent and peaceful relationship rather than conflictive relations (Ikenberry, 2008). Hu also marked that the rise of China is peaceful and Beijing withhold the five principles of UN peaceful coexistence and the neighbor should not worry about the peaceful rise of China. By this way China changed the behavior of its regional states into friendly and converted the region into trade hub (Massarrat Abid, 2015).