Examining the Odyssey of China Pakistan Economic Corridor A Historical Perspective
Main Article Content
Abstract
The relations between Pakistan and China have experienced a deep mutation, shaping global geopolitics and bearing significant intricacies in the South Asian region. Since the birth, these two countries have signed several accords marked by various cooperations, contracts, and strategic agreements. Nevertheless, the second decade of the twenty-first century took a transformative turn with the inception of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This project evolved economic growth in Pakistan and triggered a revolution in the international and regional dynamics of the country. This project has shaped the geopolitics of world powers, and regional influences have grown, which has divided world order into regional order is the main focus of this research's findings. However, this proposed examination aims to investigate the historical evolution of China and Pakistan relations from a historical perspective as a result of CPEC as its central outcome. The study has applied literature review methodology, collecting secondary data and analyzing available literature from reputable journals, including current published data in different newspapers. Through the investigation, the findings of the study explain the far-reaching consequences of this vital project on international and domestic relations, shedding light on emerging discourses in modern diplomacy and geopolitics. Yet, the analysis and discussions highlight the unseen, untold, and unexplored outcomes and narratives for the researchers and foreign policy experts. Consequently, this study recommends revisiting the tensions within the CPEC for a solution in Pakistan. Lastly, this scholarly discourse would open new avenues for the scholars to uncover the dilemmas and dimensions within the project.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
Irfan, D. A., Begum, D. S., Naqvi, A., & Naveed, D. F. (2023). Pak-Afghan Relationship: Obstacles and Opportunities. VFAST Transactions on Education and Social Sciences, 11(1), 246–255. https://doi.org/10.21015/vtess.v11i1.1310
khan, M., & Khattak, L. (2023). The Great Power Chessboard: Navigating the US-China Rivalry and Pakistan’s Dilemma. International Journal of Human and Society, 3(3), 198-211. Retrieved from https://www.ijhs.com.pk/index.php/IJHS/article/view/307
Safdar, A. (2015). The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor – Its Maritime Dimension and Pakistan Navy. Strategic Studies, 35(3), 1–19. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48535918
Khan, A. U. (2015). Pak-China economic corridor: The hopes and reality. Regional studies, 33(1), 7-13. https://regionalstudies.com.pk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2.-PAK-CHINA-ECONOMIC-CORRIDOR-Aarish-U-Khan.pdf
Hussain, I., Hussain, I., & Hussain, I.Q., (2020). History of Pakistan–China Relations: The Complex Interdependence Theory, The Chinese Historical Review, 27:2, 146-164, https://doi.org/10.1080/1547402X.2020.1831176
Khan, S., & Ahmed, Z. S. (2024). Impact of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor on Nation-Building in Pakistan: A Case Study of Balochistan. Journal of Contemporary China, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2023.2299770
Khatti, D. H., Rasool, G., & Shaikh, I. A. (2022). The regional nuisances in Pak-china relations: A Historical Perspective. Research Mosaic, 2(2), 21-27. https://researchmosaic.com/index.php/rm/article/view/26
Malik, A. R. (2017). The Pakistan-China Bilateral Trade: The Future Trajectory. Strategic Studies, 37(1), 66–89. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48535987
Wolf, S. O. (2017). China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and its impact on regionalisation in South Asia. Regional Cooperation in South Asia: Socio-economic, Spatial, Ecological and Institutional Aspects, 99-112. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56747-1_6
Kousar, S., Rehman, A., Zafar, M., Ali, K. and Nasir, N. (2018), "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: a gateway to sustainable economic development", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 45 No. 6, pp. 909-924. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSE-02-2017-0059
Akram, Q., & Fareed, M. (2019). China’s Malacca Dilemma: Power Politics in Indian Ocean. (2019). Journal of Politics and International Studies, 5(02), 29-44. https://plantsghar.com/index.php/45/article/view/54
Liu, Z., Schindler, S., & Liu, W. (2020). Demystifying Chinese overseas investment in infrastructure: Port development, the Belt and Road Initiative and regional development. Journal of Transport Geography, 87, 102812. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102812
Ali, M. (2020). China–Pakistan Economic Corridor: prospects and challenges. Contemporary South Asia, 28(1), 100–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/09584935.2019.1667302
Gholizadeh, A., Madani, S. and Saneinia, S. (2020), "A geoeconomic and geopolitical review of Gwadar Port on belt and road initiative", Maritime Business Review, Vol. 5 No. 4, pp. 335-349. https://doi.org/10.1108/MABR-11-2019-0051
Hammad, M. (2021). Security imperative of the belt and road initiative: A comparative study of Malaysia and Pakistan (master’s thesis, Lingnan University, Hong Kong). Retrieved from https://commons.ln.edu.hk/otd/128/
Khalid, M. (2022). Changing Geo-Political Dynamics of China-Pakistan Relations. Pacific International Journal, 5(3), 01–09. https://doi.org/10.55014/pij.v5i3.217
Nagra, R. K. (2022). China–Pakistan: A Decade of Transformation in Diplomacy, 2010–2020. In Pakistan's Foreign Policy (pp. 85-98). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003250920-7/china%E2%80%93pakistan-gul-hina-shahzad-van-der-zwan-rabbiya-kamal-nagra
Hussain, E. (2017). China–Pakistan economic corridor: will it sustain itself?. Fudan Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences, 10, 145-159). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40647-016-0143-x
Afaqi, T., & Askari, M.U., (2022). China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Regional Integration and Challenges. Khaldunia. Journal of Social Sciences, 2(1), 26–41. https://doi.org/10.36755/khaldunia.v2i1.35
Hasan, M., Al Mamun, F., Amin, R., Islam, H., & Islam, M. (2023). United Nations Security Council’s Role in the Liberation War of Bangladesh: Critical Analysis. Pancasila International Journal of Applied Social Science, 2(01), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.59653/pancasila.v2i01.336
Ahmad, I. (2023). An Examination of Chinese Interests in Pakistan from a Regional Perspective. Journal of Regional Studies Review, 2(1), 34-42. https://ojs.jrsr.org/index.php/jrsr/article/view/5
Waheed, A., Fischer, T. B., Kousar, S., & Khan, M. I. (2023). Disaster management and environmental policy integration in Pakistan—an evaluation with particular reference to the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor Plan. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(48), 105700–105731. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29310-1
Hussain, M., Jamali, A. B., Nisar, R. D., & Omar, A. (2024). The China–Iran strategic deal and CPEC: Navigating the influence of pragmatic balancing in China's relations with Iran and Pakistan. Politics & Policy, 52(1), 227-244. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12573
Gul, A., Shad, M. R., & Imran, S. (2024). Great Power Competition and Pakistan: A Power Transition Theory Perspective 1947–1991. Chinese Political Science Review, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41111-024-00249-z
Martadinata, I., Hadianto, M., & Risman, H. (2024). Analysis of China’s Interests in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Policy in Pakistan. Journal of Social and Political Sciences, 7(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.31014/aior.1991.07.01.465
Shih, C. Y. (2018). Identities in Sino-Pakistani ‘Iron Brotherhood’: Theoretical Implications beyond the Economic Corridor. The Chinese Journal of International Politics, 11(2), 131-152. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjip/poy005
Al-Jazeera (2024) https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2010/10/28/china-pakistan-is-our-israel
Khan, A (2024). Pakistan as China’s Israel’: In defence of Kakar’s controversial remark, available at https://www.geo.tv/latest/511206-pakistan-as-chinas-israel-in-defence-of-kakars-controversial-remark
Mahdi, N. (1986). SINO-PAKISTAN RELATIONS: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND. Pakistan Horizon, 39(4), 60–68. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41394230
Khan, H.-R. (1961). PAKISTAN’S RELATIONS WITH THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. Pakistan Horizon, 14(3), 212–232. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41392669
Palmer, N. D. (1971). China’s Relations with India and Pakistan. Current History, 61(361), 148-153. https://doi.org/10.1525/curh.1971.61.361.148
Lamb, A. (1964). The Sino‐Pakistani boundary agreement of 2 March 1963. Australian Outlook, 18(3), 299-312. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357716408444182
Bhattacharya, J. (2022). Elephant, Dragon and Crescent: Border Disputes and the Relationship Between India, China and Pakistan (1947-71). McGill University (Canada).
Deepak, B.R. (2020). India and China-Pak Axis: From India-Pak Wars to the Abrogation of Article 370. In: India and China. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9500-4_5
Farooqui, M. A., & Aftab, S. M. (2018). China-Pakistan Economic Corridor; Prospects and Challenges for Balochistan, Pakistan. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 414, p. 012046). IOP Publishing. DOI 10.1088/1757-899X/414/1/012046
Khan, M. Z. U., & Khan, M. M. (2019). China-Pakistan economic corridor. Strategic Studies, 39(2), 67-82. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48544300
Degong, M., Ullah, F., Ullah, R., & Arif, M. (2023). An empirical nexus between exchange rate and China's outward foreign direct investment: Implications for Pakistan under the China Pakistan economic corridor project. The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 87, 224-234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qref.2020.12.001
Ahmed, W., Tan, Q., & Ali, S. (2018). Strategic negotiation for resolving infrastructure development disputes in the belt and road initiative. In Group Decision and Negotiation in an Uncertain World: 18th International Conference, GDN 2018, Nanjing, China, June 9-13, 2018, Proceedings 18 (pp. 154-166). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92874-6_12
Rahman, S., & Kubra, S. T. (2020). Economic Dimension of China’s Foreign Policy towards Pakistan: Late 20th-Early 21st Century. Pakistan Languages And Humanities Review, 4(2), 15-29. http://doi.org/10.47205/plhr.2020(4-II)2.2
Awan, M. A., & Ali, Y. (2022). Risk Assessment in Supply Chain Networks of China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Chinese Political Science Review, 7(4), 550-573. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41111-021-00199-w
Khan, S., & Liu, G. (2019). Socioeconomic and public policy impacts of China Pakistan Economic Corridor on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Environmental Management and Sustainable Development, 8(1), 57-76.doi:10.5296/emsd.v8i1.13758
Khan, H. U., & Khalid, I. (2018). CPEC and Federalism: An Analysis. (2018). Journal of Political Studies, 25(02), 207-227. https://plantsghar.com/index.php/6/article/view/438
Ahmed, Z. S. (2019). Impact of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor on Nation-Building in Pakistan. Journal of Contemporary China, 28(117), 400–414. https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2018.1542221
Boni, F., & Adeney, K. (2020). The Impact of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor on Pakistan's Federal System: The Politics of the CPEC. Asian Survey, 60(3), 441-465. https://doi.org/10.1525/as.2020.60.3.441
Akhter, M. (2018). Geopolitics of the belt and road: Space, state, and capital in China and Pakistan. Logistical Asia: The labour of making a world region, 221-241. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8333-4_11
Wolf, S.O. (2020). Afghanistan Within the BRI Vision and the Feasibility of Enlarging the CPEC. In: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor of the Belt and Road Initiative. Contemporary South Asian Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16198-9_8
Khan, Z., Changgang, G., Ahmad, R., & Wenhao, F. (2018). CPEC: A game changer in the balance of power in South Asia. China Quarterly of International Strategic Studies, 4(04), 595-611. https://doi.org/10.1142/S237774001850029X
Ahmad, O. (2023). Ten Years of CPEC: A Decade of Disappointments. Available at South Asian Voices: https://southasianvoicesorg/ten-years-of-cpec-a-decade-of-disappointments
National Logistic Cell NLC (2023). NLC to open land routes of Pakistan to China to materialize CPEC prospects. Retrieved from https://pakobserver.net/nlc-to-open-land-routes-of-pakistan-to-china-to-materialize-cpec-prospects/
Lagrasta, F. P., Scozzi, B., & Pontrandolfo, P. (2024). Feminisms and entrepreneurship: a systematic literature review investigating a troubled connection. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 1-32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-024-00977-3
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of business research, 104, 333-339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
Hussain, A. (2024). ‘Cousins at war’: Pakistan-Afghan ties strained after cross-border attacks. AL-Jazeera Media Network. Available at https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/29/march-of-terror-pakistan-grapples-with-deadly-attacks-on-china-interests
Hussain, A. (2024). March of ‘terror’: Pakistan grapples with deadly attacks on China interests. Available at https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/29/march-of-terror-pakistan-grapples-with-deadly-attacks-on-china-interests