No bilateral relationship is as firm and constructive as Sino-Pak friendship. Encompassed in an iron-clad commitment, China and Pakistan have come a long way in fomenting ties that are result-oriented, devoid of changes in realpolitik and at the beck and call of each other in adversity. The renewed pledge from Chinese leadership to go ahead with CPEC 2.0 is a shot in the arm, and has come at a time when Pakistan is in dire need of a breakthrough to overcome its economic miseries. The $60 billion CPEC is not only a lifeline but also the way to go in construing connectivity in the region and beyond.
The success attained in phase one of CPEC in the form of laying a network of communication and energy projects is now in a graduation stage as Pakistan plans industrialisation and logistics across its length and breadth. It will synergise its economy on a sound-footing and also open vistas of broader regional cooperation as the Gwadar Port offers an indispensable shortest route to Central Asian states and Afghanistan, and access to five continents of the world.
The assurance from Chinese Premier Li Qiang to his PM Shehbaz Sharif to upgrade the multibillion dollar project with five new corridors is startling. Likewise, Pakistan expressed its desire to see the early implementation of the ML-1 railway project, the Karakoram Highway realignment and operationalisation of the Gwadar Port, and commissioning of special industrial zones.
Shehbaz, on the second leg of his visit to China after attending Tianjin SCO Summit, seized the opportunity to invite big-ticket investment as more than 500 entrepreneurs were in attendance at a B2B conference. A headway was evident as cooperation in IT, agriculture, minerals, textiles and industry was underscored, on the heels of the signing of Joint Action Plan 2024-2029.
All that is now desired is a strong and unflinching institutional support to make sure that CPEC-2 is realised in real-time.
