By: Azhar Azam
*This is one of my opinion pieces (unedited) that first appeared at "China Global Television Network (CGTN)":
*This is one of my opinion pieces (unedited) that first appeared at "China Global Television Network (CGTN)":
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-01-26/-U-S-should-stop-its-uncalled-for-interference-in-CPEC-Nz0yHmIJBS/index.html
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of Belt and Road Initiative, is racing ahead fast and is strengthening one of the oldest and strongest bilateral alliances between Beijing and Islamabad. On top of that, the game-changer economic partnership continues to transform Pakistan’s economy and livelihoods of the country’s people.
A total of 12 power projects, under CPEC, have either been completed or underway with a total generation capacity of 7,240 megawatts (MW) while another nine projects of 6,390 MW are in early stages, attracting a foreign investment of $12 billion. These projects have been largely financed by China through grants and concessional loans.
Only the CPEC energy projects have so far provided low-cost electricity to 33 million Pakistanis besides producing $250 million in tax revenues and creating 10,000 jobs. Therefore amid growing economic turmoil and plunging GDP, the people and government of Pakistan perceives CPEC as a buoyant development plan to reinstate the economy, improve critical infrastructure and open employment opportunities.
Lately, Beijing and Islamabad have decided to develop Pakistan’s city of Faisalabad as a major industrial hub. In this second phase of CPEC, the establishment of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the city of textiles could create nearly 300,000 jobs, draw investment of more than $2.5 billion and lessen country’s reliance on imports.
But the US ignores to spot CPEC in the backdrop of enormous economic benefits to Pakistan and socio-economic development of more than 200 million Pakistanis. Unfortunately, Washington willingly sees the project as its economic rivalry with Beijing and is insisting Islamabad to review its economic alignment with China.
The US ambassador for South and Central Asia earlier this week again urged Pakistan to reconsider its unstinting embrace of Beijing’s trillion-dollar BRI insignia. Addressing a think tank in Pakistan, she recapped her prior allegations such as lack of transparency in CPEC projects, debt burden, and award of contracts to delisted companies in addition to questioning the immunity of CPEC Authority.
In an interview with US news channel CNBC on Wednesday in Davos, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan hit back at her criticism and turned down the US claim that through CPEC; Beijing was towing Islamabad into a debt trap and labeled the remarks “nonsense.” Khan further eulogized China for its resolute economic support for Pakistan.
“When the Chinese came to help us with this Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and CPEC, we were at the rock bottom,” Khan responded when asked if the project was a debt trap. He also thanked China for coming and rescuing Pakistan by pumping in loans that “by the way are barely five or six percent of the total portfolio.”
As Wells broached no evidence to justify her accusations, the attempt appeared to only hurt the profounder China-Pakistan relationship by pecking doubts among the society. But she entirely disregarded that about three-quarter of a century-old friendship between the two countries has firmly interlaced them into a deep and unique rapport of brotherhood and trust.
Over the decades, Islamabad has not only relied on Beijing to help overcome its economic privations but has also consistently thrown its faith on its all-weather ally to put up its point of view on war on terror and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) in front of the international community or to take up the issues in the UN Security Council (UNSC).
While the global world including Pakistan’s closest partners remain tone-deaf on the Indian unilateral actions in the disputed territory J&K, it is China that has become the voice of Pakistan on the global forums. Last week, Beijing once again called a meeting in the UNSC to urge India and Pakistan to seek solutions through dialogue, a demand Islamabad has long pursued.
Beijing has actively supported Pakistan on South Asian country’s endeavor to avoid the Financial Actions Task Force (FATF) blacklisting. Recently Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson emphasized that Pakistan’s political will and visible progress to strengthen domestic CFT (Countering Financing of Terrorism) regime should be recognized globally.
Relations between Islamabad and Washington have been dramatically perfected in the past few months over Pakistan’s facilitation of Afghan peace process. But the US should not expect Pakistan to ditch its iron-brother China to placate Washington. Such an act would an axe on its own feet since China is intensely aiding Pakistan to rout employment snags and bridge the development gaps in energy, infrastructure and industrialization.
Chinese embassy in Pakistan strongly responded to the Wells’ tickings-off too. In a compelling reprisal, Beijing’s spokesperson in Islamabad said that China would be more than glad to see the US develop its relations with Pakistan but oppose American intervention in China-Pakistan bilateral relations and CPEC, which created over 75,000 jobs directly and contributed one to two percent to the country’s GDP.
By dragging CPEC into the discussion, Wells, as a matter of fact, forthrightly compromised the basic US agenda of greater stress on expanding economic partnership and bolstering political engagement between Pakistan and the US in the aftermath of Afghan conflict, humanitarian crisis in J&K and Iran-US standoff.
The uncalled-for interference in China-Pakistan bilateral affairs also forfeited the other important intent of her arrival to promote trade and investment and the advancement of the shared vision of both countries’ leadership “for a long-term, broad-based and enduring partnership.”
If the US is truly concerned about Pakistan and people of the country, it should resolutely back CPEC and boost its trade and investment with the terror-hit country that has suffered billions of economic losses and lost thousands of lives due to Washington’s war on terror in Afghanistan. Maybe, it could counterweigh Pakistan’s sacrifices to some extent.
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of Belt and Road Initiative, is racing ahead fast and is strengthening one of the oldest and strongest bilateral alliances between Beijing and Islamabad. On top of that, the game-changer economic partnership continues to transform Pakistan’s economy and livelihoods of the country’s people.
A total of 12 power projects, under CPEC, have either been completed or underway with a total generation capacity of 7,240 megawatts (MW) while another nine projects of 6,390 MW are in early stages, attracting a foreign investment of $12 billion. These projects have been largely financed by China through grants and concessional loans.
Only the CPEC energy projects have so far provided low-cost electricity to 33 million Pakistanis besides producing $250 million in tax revenues and creating 10,000 jobs. Therefore amid growing economic turmoil and plunging GDP, the people and government of Pakistan perceives CPEC as a buoyant development plan to reinstate the economy, improve critical infrastructure and open employment opportunities.
Lately, Beijing and Islamabad have decided to develop Pakistan’s city of Faisalabad as a major industrial hub. In this second phase of CPEC, the establishment of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the city of textiles could create nearly 300,000 jobs, draw investment of more than $2.5 billion and lessen country’s reliance on imports.
But the US ignores to spot CPEC in the backdrop of enormous economic benefits to Pakistan and socio-economic development of more than 200 million Pakistanis. Unfortunately, Washington willingly sees the project as its economic rivalry with Beijing and is insisting Islamabad to review its economic alignment with China.
The US ambassador for South and Central Asia earlier this week again urged Pakistan to reconsider its unstinting embrace of Beijing’s trillion-dollar BRI insignia. Addressing a think tank in Pakistan, she recapped her prior allegations such as lack of transparency in CPEC projects, debt burden, and award of contracts to delisted companies in addition to questioning the immunity of CPEC Authority.
In an interview with US news channel CNBC on Wednesday in Davos, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan hit back at her criticism and turned down the US claim that through CPEC; Beijing was towing Islamabad into a debt trap and labeled the remarks “nonsense.” Khan further eulogized China for its resolute economic support for Pakistan.
“When the Chinese came to help us with this Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and CPEC, we were at the rock bottom,” Khan responded when asked if the project was a debt trap. He also thanked China for coming and rescuing Pakistan by pumping in loans that “by the way are barely five or six percent of the total portfolio.”
As Wells broached no evidence to justify her accusations, the attempt appeared to only hurt the profounder China-Pakistan relationship by pecking doubts among the society. But she entirely disregarded that about three-quarter of a century-old friendship between the two countries has firmly interlaced them into a deep and unique rapport of brotherhood and trust.
Over the decades, Islamabad has not only relied on Beijing to help overcome its economic privations but has also consistently thrown its faith on its all-weather ally to put up its point of view on war on terror and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) in front of the international community or to take up the issues in the UN Security Council (UNSC).
While the global world including Pakistan’s closest partners remain tone-deaf on the Indian unilateral actions in the disputed territory J&K, it is China that has become the voice of Pakistan on the global forums. Last week, Beijing once again called a meeting in the UNSC to urge India and Pakistan to seek solutions through dialogue, a demand Islamabad has long pursued.
Beijing has actively supported Pakistan on South Asian country’s endeavor to avoid the Financial Actions Task Force (FATF) blacklisting. Recently Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson emphasized that Pakistan’s political will and visible progress to strengthen domestic CFT (Countering Financing of Terrorism) regime should be recognized globally.
Relations between Islamabad and Washington have been dramatically perfected in the past few months over Pakistan’s facilitation of Afghan peace process. But the US should not expect Pakistan to ditch its iron-brother China to placate Washington. Such an act would an axe on its own feet since China is intensely aiding Pakistan to rout employment snags and bridge the development gaps in energy, infrastructure and industrialization.
Chinese embassy in Pakistan strongly responded to the Wells’ tickings-off too. In a compelling reprisal, Beijing’s spokesperson in Islamabad said that China would be more than glad to see the US develop its relations with Pakistan but oppose American intervention in China-Pakistan bilateral relations and CPEC, which created over 75,000 jobs directly and contributed one to two percent to the country’s GDP.
By dragging CPEC into the discussion, Wells, as a matter of fact, forthrightly compromised the basic US agenda of greater stress on expanding economic partnership and bolstering political engagement between Pakistan and the US in the aftermath of Afghan conflict, humanitarian crisis in J&K and Iran-US standoff.
The uncalled-for interference in China-Pakistan bilateral affairs also forfeited the other important intent of her arrival to promote trade and investment and the advancement of the shared vision of both countries’ leadership “for a long-term, broad-based and enduring partnership.”
If the US is truly concerned about Pakistan and people of the country, it should resolutely back CPEC and boost its trade and investment with the terror-hit country that has suffered billions of economic losses and lost thousands of lives due to Washington’s war on terror in Afghanistan. Maybe, it could counterweigh Pakistan’s sacrifices to some extent.