Daily Times

China has remained one common friend and a binding factor between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, supporting both states and building the lasting friendship with a vision for shared destiny and connectivity hence creating options for prosperity, stability and security in the region and beyond. Quite recently Prime Minister Imran Khan made his important visit to Sri Lanka on the invitation of the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. During this visit, Prime Minister Imran Khan invited and offered Sri Lanka to avail the opportunities offered by China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Gwadar deep sea port- a crown of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)- to reach for Central Asian and connected global markets. This unique opportunity for Sir Lanka is to build its trade relations with not only with Pakistan but beyond to explore the possibilities of trade and business. CPEC as a flagship project of Pakistan and China connects Gwadar deep sea port from Balochistan to the Xinjiang province through Gilgit Baltistan towards the grand BRI. According to one official estimate, there are138 countries signed agreements related to BRI with ever increasing opportunities for the growth globally. This triangular relations between Pakistan, Sri Lanka and China is creating opportunities for the regional peace, security and stability that will help increase the chances for collaboration amongst countries on trade, investment, culture, tourism, defense cooperation, agriculture and technology advancement. BRI is considered as one of the largest overseas project initiative catering 64 % of the world populations, covering 138 countries and approaching around 30 % of the world’s GDP. There is an estimated of billions of dollars of trade that can grow and transcend through these routes from one side of the world to another side. Two important lynchpins of BRI connecting important trade routes together are Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port and Gwadar deep sea port in Balochistan, Pakistan. The two have connect these three countries into a shared destiny of prosperity through connectivity into a whole that will be helpingPakistan, China and SriLanka to not only create economic prosperity in the tumultuous region but through stronger bond of political and strategic partnership, will be creating spaces for peace, security and stability in the region.

Pakistan has fighting someone else’s war of terror causing huge amount of our precious life and prosperities. We have remained the victims of the terrorism while facing it from the very front but still been blamed for it

After the advent of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013 and later announcement of China Pakistan Economic Corridor, was one of the significant initiativesled to revamping and rebuilding Gwadardeep seaport and BRI helped Hambantota port to being playing a key role in the maritime trade routes. Apart from other important energy and connectivity projects, Gwadar has remained crown of not only CPEC but overall BRI linking China to Pakistan and across the globe through its unique existence and geostrategic and geo-economics significance. On the other hand, Hambantota port became part of the maritime silk road part of the larger BRI framework and once this happened the port began performing part excellence towards Sri Lankan economy where it has injected nearly 1.1 billion USD in Sri Lankan economy, created industrial zones, hence made possible to have a stronger presence of Sri Lankan Navy in the region.Now as a result of this port and Chinese investment in shape of various projects including Colombo International Financial City near the port has made the game changing impact on the regional economy. When Prime Minister Khan was in Sri Lanka, he has offered to the country as an important partner in BRI to use CPEC to enhance trade and investment linkages from its port of Hambantota to Gwadar and reach to the Central Asian markets. Hambantota port has its significant regional important and is playing as a critical node to increase the maritime economic flow and transport. Both ports are creating immense opportunities for not only Pakistan, Sri Lanka and China but for the regional countries to explore the business and diplomatic possibilities to outreach towards new markets from far and wide.

In the overall scheme of BRI, CPEC has transformed the landscape of Pakistan from one side of the country to another with roads and networks, energy pumping into the economy, manufacturing growing, trade and economic zones have been set up in different corners. This impact is enormous as when the CPEC is in the second phase where the focus is on industrial development, agricultural collaboration and socio economic development, dividends of CPECare seeping deeper in Pakistani household. This is creating immense gratitude and strength between Pakistan and China relations. While we look at Sri Lanka, a country earlier struggling with the economic, political and domestic stability with the support from Chinese investment and significant Pakistani strategic support has been able to uplift its society and economy to a level of stability paring with the regional countries. Through CPEC and BRI, the surrounding regions have an enormous opportunities as it gives an interesting platform for over more than three billion people. CPEC is also creating new frameworks of interaction on the basis of economic connectivity regional integration and is having far reaching implications for not only Pakistan and China but also with the neighboring regions including Sri Lanka. CPEC is turning the BRI as the modern Silk Route into an economic reality. Both China and Pakistan are complementing each other in CPEC howeverany country acknowledging the BRI and its framework can join this future trajectory of prosperity. Pakistan will be a primary beneficiary country from the seaports and direct land juncturesconnecting different parts of the world and will help its economy to find launching pad for growth in terms of infrastructure, energy and telecommunications sectors.Through CPEC, Pakistan is now offering countries of the region including Afghanistan, Iran and Sri Lanka to join together and benefit from the new transformation ongoing. As CPEC is offering the global supply chains the shortest route to the world markets while on the other hand, this is providing Pakistani and Sri Lankan traders equal opportunitiesto connect to the world through BRI. There is huge potential for tourism industry in Pakistan that is equally complementing for Sri Lankan tourists to take advantage. With important historic sites in the region, there is gigantic openings for the tourists and tourism related enterprises to explore the opportunities to collaborate. Tourism is creating thousands of jobs for the people and significantly cutting down the problem of unemployment in Pakistan thus the connectivity with Sri Lanka and China will create further prospects.

Apart from providing jobs and boosting the infrastructure outlook, CPEC as an important part of BRI is in the next phase to provide the accesses to the vast domestic Chinese market. Recent visit of Prime Minister of Pakistan to Sri Lanka, discussions are also around how trade can be built while connecting the countries to the larger BRI scheme. Pakistan is encouraging the other states to connect themselves with Pakistan through BRI in bilateral and multilateral trade agreements as Prime Minister Khan has asked his Sri Lankan counterpart, Pakistan has also invited Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asian States too to enjoy the fruits of connectivity. For Pakistan, Chinese Friendship holds an important place in our foreign policy. The advent of CPEC and Pakistan significant contribution towards larger “Chinese Dream” has helped Pakistan to improve its standing at the regional and global level. At the same time we have observed the similar uplift in case of Sri Lanka’s regional position has also multiplied with increasing maritime silk route.

As you all know Pakistan has fighting someone else’s war of terror causing huge amount of our precious life and prosperities. We have remained the victims of the terrorism while facing it from the very front but still been blamed for it. World has acknowledged sacrifices of Pakistan and when no country was willing to invest in Pakistan, it was China invested multimillion dollar project like CPEC. On the other hand, after getting successes on eradicating terrorism from its soil, Pakistan has helped and supported Sri Lanka to end the decades long Civil War. Both countries embrace each other through thick and think. A strong alliance of Pakistan, China and Sri Lanka will bode well for the region and beyond.

The writer is Director Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies