For long, China has made its place in Pakistan’s internal trade policy, and has never thought otherwise, no matter geo-political conditions in the region. Now, after years of relations between the northern gold mine and the southern bridge to the world have been strengthened, questions are arising over the validity of such dealings and the bearings that such investments can have on the societies of China and Pakistan.
This rapid emerging marketing within these nations are outlined in a report by the ADB which charts, “In recent years Pakistan has rapidly pursued the building of north–south corridors, and forged stronger trade links with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), through a $60 billion investment in the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)”. It goes on to highlight this funding, “Public and social media unease about the large infusion of new loans from the IMF and multilateral banks has been clearly evident and has been tied in part to the mounting debts incurred to the lenders financing the CPEC effort.”
We have seen Bangladesh appear as a major evolving trading partner with relations normalising, and robust exchange of greetings.
Investors dealing in markets have to be really smart. They have to closely monitor Global Politics and finance. If Investors lose trust in markets, they do it by their own judgment or by the judgment of economic analysts. Usually, Governments are seen referring investors to these analysts to gain their trusts. It does work, but not for long since investors eventually understand that Governments are giving a sense of artificial assurance to them. And in Pakistan, not at all, especially given its trade partners and their financial powers.
There is an investment but not in key volumes
There is no such thing as major non-china investment in the country. The EU has capitalized on projects such as the “Sindh Union Council and Community Economic Strengthening Support”, which goes through this year. It also helps in environmental projects, but all of these are less recognised by both the media and everyday commuters, which see no billboards in advertisement of such schemes.
While we may see the EU and other major trading Blocs invest in our infrastructure, it is not in key volumes, like we have seen from Chinese investment companies. These companies, apart from the government funds, are promoting their presence, but as individual corporation recognition, not the big picture as China. This optimistic message communicated the rise of such a robust strategy for connections between China, its allies and whoever it seems to be a valuable network for modernising and speeding up Trade.
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Perhaps, it is also vital to stress the importance of China’s role in uniting a front of emerging economies waiting to appear on the monetary map. China‘s aim to unite economies, in every corner of the continent is certainly working. We have seen Bangladesh appear as a major evolving trading partner with relations normalizing, and robust exchange of greetings.
This is greatly guiding the rising questions to the solution of “good-will”, or so it is deemed. Joint relations between all these nations point to their conflict of interests, especially the one which comes into the social aspects, proving that none of this is a controlled and ideal experiment and mess-ups do happen. But at the end of the day, there is no end to this expansion that China has taken the road to. Today, trade, tomorrow, policy, China is grasping its rule on its neighbors, not in the worst of ways, but it is. This realization would surely help Pakistan pave its own way.
Juan Abbas is a freelance writer for the Daily Times. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.