On December 1st, 2021, the Centre for Chinese Legal Studies (CCLS) hosted a virtual seminar exploring the “Rise of China: Pakistan’s Opportunities and Challenges”. The session was enriched by the observations of Dr. Moeed Pirzada, sparking an enlightening conversation with the learned members of the audience. The director of the Centre, Professor Sikander Shah, remarked that Pakistan must stay attuned to its developing dynamics with China; staying aware of Pakistan’s gains, interests, and costs, to ensure positive outcomes from the current geo-political situation.
Dr. Moeed Pirzada spoke at length about the historical trajectory of the Pak-China relationship, as well as the current strategic relationship shared between the two countries. Throughout the session, he emphasized that China is already at the forefront of global economic developments, having extended its presence in more than a hundred countries through extravagant investments, due to which the economic world order appears to be transitioning away from Western control. Enlisting some positive outcomes of the strategic relationship between Pakistan and China, Dr. Pirzada mentioned the Karakoram Highway, which is the highest paved road on Earth, and a key piece of infrastructure used for boosting trade and accessibility. He asserted that although China is extensively invested in various countries, it has only made substantial progress in Pakistan, primarily through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: a sub-project of its larger Belt and Road Initiative. Concluding his remarks, Dr. Pirzada emphasized the need for Pakistan to move away from one-dimensional perceptions of strategic partners to understand diversity in the population and politics of neighboring countries for effective diplomacy.
To learn more about the extensive answers during the Q&A session relating to, for example, how the US’s withdrawal from Afghanistan may affect Pakistan and China’s relationship; Iran’s role as a strategic ally or threat; and what the EU’s ‘Look East’ policies may look like in the future, among others, please click here for the full video of the session.
