Daily Times

“Let China sleep, for when she awakens, she will shake the world.” This Napoleon Bonaparte comment has been made true by the Chinese Communist Party. Since gaining control of the country through a revolution seven decades ago, the party has turned China from one of the world’s most impoverished nations to the second-largest economy and a powerhouse.

China’s breathtaking economic success continues to astound the rest of the globe. The third revolution is to take place in a nation of more than a billion people since the People’s Republic was established in 1949. China is increasingly confronting the American-dominated global order more fiercely under President Xi Jinping’s leadership. Chinese influence has been significantly projected onto the global scene under President Xi. China is now taking more prominent participation internationally, departing significantly from its prior strategy of keeping a low profile.

A bold set of changes introduced by President Xi would expand rather than reduce the party’s influence in political, social, and economic life. He has fought tenaciously against the party’s pervasive corruption. President Xi’s desire to bring China to the forefront of the international power struggle marks a significant break from past Chinese presidents, who firmly followed Deng Xiaoping’s maxim to “conceal our strengths and bide our time, never try to seize the lead.” China has prevented being involved in international wars during the past 20 years by putting all of its energy into the growth that has made it an economic giant. A powerful anti-globalization tsunami that is overtaking the Western world has prompted China to aspire for global dominance at a time when there is a rising trend toward more protectionist governments.

The regional geopolitical fault lines have been made visible by the expanding Pakistan-China strategic partnership.

China’s hosting of the Belt and Road Forum reaffirmed its claim to be in charge of the new economic and geopolitical order. It was the biggest demonstration yet of China emancipating itself from the confines of its previous foreign policy framework, which had prevented it from trying a global role, and it welcomed officials of more than 40 other nations and international financial institutions. China’s multibillion-dollar One Belt, One Road (OBOR) infrastructure investment initiative, which connects the ancient Silk Road with Europe, is a reflection of China’s expanding geopolitical aspirations. OBOR is a project of President Xi Jinping, who is perhaps the most influential Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. It spans 68 nations and is responsible for up to 40% of the global GDP. It is not unexpected that a broad range of nations, from those in Asian countries to those in Europe and even South America, are supporting the OBOR idea despite major reservations about the initiative’s costs and advantages. There is little doubt that fewer European nations attended the meeting in Beijing as a result of their concerns over China’s reluctance to welcome Western businesses.

President Xi has consistently made an effort to allay worries about China’s hegemony by encouraging other nations to participate in the initiative. China invests around $150 billion annually in the 68 nations that have so far ratified the plan. Approximately $1 trillion has already been spent in OBOR, according to Chinese official statistics, and many further trillions are expected to be poured over the following ten years. Therefore, it is clear that OBOR is about more than just building infrastructure; one of its main goals is to transform Eurasia into a hub for trade and commerce, ending the dominance of the American-led transatlantic system. Beijing aims to do this to find a more lucrative use for the country’s sizable foreign currency reserves, which are now primarily held in low-interest US treasury bonds.

In the grand picture of OBOR, China also views the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a “potential determinant.” The partnership between Pakistan and China has taken on a new aspect as a result of this multibillion-dollar investment package. The relationship has shifted from more than five decades of solely strategic and security collaboration to a vibrant economic and commercial alliance. This expanding bilateral collaboration occurs at a time when China’s growing geopolitical aspiration also highlights its worries about the security and fragile economy of Pakistan. Pakistan has the ability to act as a connector for the two routes-the geographical Eurasian Silk Road Economic Belt and the Southeast Asian Sea Route, its geostrategic location.

China and Pakistan have long had better relations. The phrase “Our friendship is higher than the Himalayas, deeper than seas, and sweeter than honey” can be used to gauge how strong the relations between China and Pakistan are. Chinese people in China refer to the Pakistanis as “Iron brothers.”

China and Pakistan have a long-standing, beneficial connection. The two nations’ long-standing relationships have been mutually beneficial. The characteristic of bilateral relations continues to be a close similarity of viewpoints and shared interests. Pakistan has backed China on the majority of matters since the 1962 Sino-Indian War, particularly those pertaining to the sovereignty of Beijing, such as Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Tibet, as well as other touchy subjects like civil rights. With significant Chinese investment in Pakistan’s infrastructure development, particularly the development of the deep water port at Gwadar, cooperation between China and Pakistan has reached new economic heights. A current free trade agreement exists between the two nations. Pakistan has acted as China’s primary link to Muslim nations. Through its facilitation of Richard Nixon’s visit to China in 1972, Pakistan also made a significant contribution to closing the communication gap between China and the West. Pakistan has been a significant commercial partner for China. A free trade agreement has been reached, and economic commerce between Pakistan and China has lately increased. The two countries’ trade is still dominated by technology and military exchanges, and Beijing has promised to enhance its spending on Pakistan’s infrastructure and economy. Furthermore, China has long given Pakistan significant military, technical, and economic support, as well as the transfer of highly sensitive nuclear technology and apparatus.

Additionally, the regional geopolitical fault lines have been made visible by the expanding Pakistan-China strategic partnership. India, as was expected, abstained from the Beijing meeting, expressing major concerns with the project, notably in relation to a China-funded project in Gilgit-Baltistan that is connected to the Kashmir issue. The fact that a trans-regional project of this kind required greater participation was another justification offered by the Indian government.

No matter how the worldwide environment has changed in the seven decades since diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan were established, the two nations have consistently stood side by side in good times and bad. By collaborating to address threats and difficulties like COVID-19, China and Pakistan have strengthened their strategic partnership and mutual confidence. The two nations are the most dependable, ironclad brothers for one another, as history has amply demonstrated.

The writer is a communications and policy expert. He tweets at @ElyasKakar.