Afia Ambreen
Once again the top US official for South Asia Alice Wells had said the CPEC, which is the flagship project of President Xi Jinping’s multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), would increase Pakistan’s debt burden and benefit only China. She claimed that aid was an illusion, Pakistan was headed for a debt trap, and Beijing would consolidate all profits. In return, Beijing issued a lengthy rebuttal arguing that the historic investment initiative greatly benefited Pakistan, creating thousands of jobs and greatly improving the infrastructure of the country which is likely to go a long way in attracting more investments. The rebuttal correctly asked the US about the type of assistance Washington had extended to prop up the debilitating economy of the Islamic Republic.
The Pakistan Foreign Office and the Ministry of Planning also came up with strong support for the project. Prime Minister Imran Khan also heaped eulogies on China in the aftermath of the statement that many think is an attempt by the US to interfere with Pakistan’s internal affairs. Since this is the second time the US diplomat has talked this way about CPEC, the first time being at Washington-based think-tank on November 21, 2019, it is now important to set the record straight. It is out of place for a third country to comment upon such internal or bilateral matters, as that is tantamount to interference. In Pakistan, politics is very divisive and it is generally a daunting task for all political parties to have a consensus on a particular issue. However, our relationship with China and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is one such instance that is seen as having all political stakeholders and institutions on the same page.
As Prime Minister Imran Khan, when asked about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in an interview to CNBC on the sidelines of Davos, rightly said, “We are really grateful to the Chinese, they came and rescued us. This is nonsense that we are indebted to China”. The PM Khan spoke on behalf of Pakistanis, who do believe Pakistan is fortunate to be a part of the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative. There are five other corridors in the BRI, which include East Asia, Central Asia, Middle East and Europe, but Gwadar is the pivot of the BRI – the converging point of the Silk Road Economic Belt (the land route) and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (the sea route). Since the start of CPEC, Pakistan has bounced back, both in its strategic relevance as well as a top investment and tourist destination.
The US has criticized CPEC and tried to disrupt this project by projecting misleading information. Therefore, it has become necessary to bring to light the real picture of CPEC and its impact. Before the launch of CPEC, Pakistan was perceived as extremist country at the international level. But the launch of CPEC has changed turned the situation in favour of Pakistan. Since CPEC is the flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), it gave a boost to Pakistan’s image at global level. Even at domestic level, all political parties are on the same page regarding CPEC. The foreign direct investment has been increased under CPEC. Apart from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE decision to invest, states like Germany, Iran, and Australia has expressed their willingness to join CPEC.
CPEC has helped Pakistan to come out of energy crisis by adding 5,320 MW to its national grid. The loans that are part of CPEC are concessional loans and CPEC accounted fraction of Pakistan’s foreign debt. It has created job opportunities for youth including women and minorities. The US criticism of CPEC is evidence of their insecurity about Chinese increasing influence in the region. When US lack courage to make huge investment in Pakistan, it is not appropriate to criticize the project of constructive investment of regional development.
Wells’ statement is a blatant violation of the norms that advocate respect for every country’s sovereignty and recognise the right of every state to choose its own political, social and economic policies. The US is very sensitive about its own internal affairs. For instance, if the Chinese ambassador to the US or any senior official had issued a statement criticising Mexico for striking a trade deal with Washington, the corporate media would have created a storm. But when it comes to the internal affairs of any other country, the US feels free to meddle without any regard to sovereignty and international norms.
So, if countries like the US have reservations over Chinese investment in Asia, Africa and other parts of the world, they can come up with their own investment projects to help cash-starved countries like Pakistan. Mere criticism of Chinese investment will not serve anyone. The US needs to let us know how many billion dollars it intends to pump into Pakistan, which not only sided with Washington during the cold war, infuriating the mighty Soviet state at that time, but also threw a helping hand to Washington by being its ally in its ‘war on terror’.
CPEC has changed lives, and transformed Pakistan, and is a testament to Pakistan’s all-weather strategic partnership with China. The persistent attempts to dissuade Pakistan and Pakistanis about CPEC by articulating a narrative based on misleading information is outside the ambit of professional diplomatic responsibilities. Islamabad has plenty of excellent experts from China and Pakistan who are capable of lecturing on CPEC. This sort of criticism of CPEC reflects the American insecurity regarding China’s increasing clout in the region. This narrative is part of the larger US ‘Pivot to Asia’ policy, which essentially aims to contain China. The best way to for the US to compete with China would be to replace the criticism against CPEC with a people-oriented, investment deal, with no strings attached, that would be of interest to American enterprises and the Pakistani economy.
