Pakistan-China relationship not limited to CPEC: Mushahid Hussain Sayed
Lahore: Pakistan-China relationship is not limited to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Senate Defence Committee Chairman Mushahid Hussain Sayed said.
Addressing the virtual conference on ‘CPEC: Pakistan-China Security and Strategic Cooperation’ here, Senator Sayed referred to the recent interview of Prime Minister Imran Khan with China Global Television Network, which reaffirmed the resolve that Pakistan would not succumb to any external pressure and downgrade its relationship with China.
The conference was organised by the Centre for Chinese Legal Studies (CCLS) at the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law (SAHSOL), LUMS.
SAHSOL Head of Department Professsor Uzair J Kayani, and CCLS Director Professsor Sikander A Shah. Members of the Pakistan-China Institute and the LUMS community also attended the event.
Senator Sayed also spoke n detail about the CPEC projects that were instrumental in shifting Pakistan’s focus from geopolitics to geoeconomics.
He cited Gwadar Port as the mainstay of the CPEC, which, in the words of Robert Kaplan, Chief Geopolitical Analyst, “has the potential to be the Rotterdam of the Arabian Sea”.
The completion of the first phase of CPEC projects, he explained, had brought monumental changes to the previously underdeveloped and ill-utilised areas like Thar, he added.
He also spoke of the second phase of CPEC that primarily focuses on agriculture, education, socio-economic development, special economic zones and the relocation of Chinese small and medium enterprises, which would further advance economic and human development in Pakistan.
He commented upon the growing strategic cooperation between Pakistan and China, where the latter has backed Pakistan’s efforts in the UN Security Council regarding various issues. He also highlighted the common challenge of hybrid warfare that both Pakistan and China faced from their adversaries, which could be overcome by dispelling the myths surrounding CPEC.
Senator Sayed referee to China as a crucial pivot in Pakistan’s general foreign policy and emphasising the tremendous potential of the CPEC in propelling infrastructural and human development in Pakistan.
He added that regardless of the challenges, they were surmountable given Pakistan’s strategic space in the region by virtue of CPEC, and the growing relationship with its neighbouring countries.
The speakers agreed that CPEC projects had been instrumental in shifting Pakistan’s focus from geopolitics to geoeconomics by boosting connectivity, commerce, trade, and cooperation in the region.
Earlier, Professor Kayani welcomed Senator Sayed as a key figure in recognising and promoting the importance of Pakistan and China’s relationship, when the world was witnessing enormous shifts in global policy.
Professor Shah moderated the discussion and highlighted the opportunities and pressing security challenges in relation to the CPEC.
Professor Shah thanked the participants for attending the conference.
He reiterated the importance of producing strong academic literature on the subject and holding constructive discourses surrounding CPEC and Pakistan-China strategic cooperation, which remains resilient even in testing times.
