Sino-Pakistan Partnership Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the Burden of Expectations

Beschreibung

This book delivers a fair-minded assessment of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It is an essential guide to the successes, failures, and implications of this often overhyped but still critically important developmental partnership. By smartly situating CPEC in its broader regional and global context, the book also explains why it matters to Beijing, how it has been received by Washington, and how it fits into their deepening geopolitical competition. Overall, a significant and timely contribution.

– Daniel S. Markey, Ph.D., Senior Advisor, South Asia, United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Washington, DC, USA.

This book has come up with the most up-to-date, comprehensive and objective analysis of China’s investments in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative. It covers the broad range of Sino-Pakistan relations in the backdrop of Pakistan’s complex political, governance, security, socio-environmental and technological challenges that hinder implementation of CPEC projects. Backed by robust empirical evidence, a unique feature of this volume is that it demystifies several myths about CPEC concerning ‘debt-trap’ narrative, China’s ‘win-win’ proposition and Pakistan’s mantra of ‘game changer’ and ‘fate changer’. By examining Chinese infrastructure-building initiative vis-à-vis competing economic initiatives such as the US/G7-led Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment, the Global Gateway strategy of the European Union, and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor of the G20, a distinctive significance of this book is that it aptly situates the implications of China’s growing role in Pakistan in broader regional and global context.

Dr Murad Ali is Head of the Department of Political Science, University of Malakand, Pakistan. He obtained his PhD from Massey University (New Zealand) and is a Humboldt fellow. He is the author of ‘The Politics of US Aid to Pakistan: aid allocation and delivery from Truman to Trump’ (Routledge, 2019).

This book has come up with the most up-to-date, comprehensive and objective analysis of China’s investments in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative. It covers the broad range of Sino-Pakistan relations in the backdrop of Pakistan’s complex political, governance, security, socio-environmental and technological challenges that hinder implementation of CPEC projects. Backed by robust empirical evidence, a unique feature of this volume is that it demystifies several myths about CPEC concerning ‘debt-trap’ narrative, China’s ‘win-win’ proposition and Pakistan’s mantra of ‘game changer’ and ‘fate changer’. By examining Chinese infrastructure-building initiative vis-à-vis competing economic initiatives such as the US/G7-led Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment, the Global Gateway strategy of the European Union, and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor of the G20, a distinctive significance of this book is that it aptly situates the implications of China’s growing role in Pakistan in broader regional and global context.

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Murad Ali

Themen in »Sino-Pakistan Partnership Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the Burden of Expectations«

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor CPEC Belt and Road Initiative Pakistan China sustainable development

Stimmen zu »Sino-Pakistan Partnership Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the Burden of Expectations«

“This book delivers a fair-minded assessment of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It is an essential guide to the successes, failures, and implications of this often overhyped but still critically important developmental partnership. By smartly situating CPEC in its broader regional and global context, the book also explains why it matters to Beijing, how it has been received by Washington, and how it fits into their deepening geopolitical competition. Overall, a significant and timely contribution.” (Daniel S. Markey, Ph.D., Senior Advisor, South Asia, United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Washington, DC, USA, Author of ‘No exit from Pakistan: America's tortured relationship with Islamabad’ and ‘China’s Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia’)

“Murad Ali’s book delves into the complexities of the Sino-Pakistan Partnership. Through meticulous research on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), this insightful work uncovers financial transparency issues, long-term debt concerns, and tangible benefits to local communities. By comparing CPEC with Western initiatives like the US/G7’s B3W/PGII and the EU’s Global Gateway, it highlights the profound geopolitical and socio-economic implications for Pakistan and beyond. A must-read for anyone interested in CPEC’s transformative potential.” (Professor Dr. Axel Dreher, Chair of International and Development Politics, Heidelberg University, Germany)

“My compliments to Dr. Murad Ali on his important and timely work on the uniqueness of Pakistan-China relations, which is the pivot of Pakistan’s foreign policy and likely to strengthen and broaden in this changing geopolitical landscape of turbulence and transformation as both neighbours have a strategic bond woven by a track record of trust and mutual support and respect and a shared destiny, reinforced by compatible interests and common worldview. Students, scholars and policymakers, all will benefit from this well-researched study. A particular pleasure is the fact that Dr Murad Ali is the nephew of my old colleague and friend, Rahimullah Yusufzai, whom I had the privilege of launching in journalism when I first appointed him Bureau Chief of ‘The Muslim’ in 1984, of which I was then Chief Editor. He was a professional journalist, par excellence. Dr Murad Ali is well qualified to write this quality book, as he has the right DNA!.” (Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman, Pakistan-China Institute, Islamabad, Pakistan)

“New development knowledge covers those nuanced perceptions, narratives and practices about the new south-south cooperation, among which BRI is a significant case in the 21 Century. This book provides multiple perspectives, particularly through the lens of the partner country, to understand the BRI practices on the ground. By reading it, we can understand more about the CPEC, one of the most famous BRI projects. The book asks important questions about the governance structure of the project, as well as the local agencies of Pakistan in the BRI operation.  It also provides the response of big players in this region to the BRI. It is highly recommended to those who are interested in BRI, SSC or Global China.” (Professor Dr. Xu Xiuli, Dean, College of International Development and Global Agriculture (CIDGA)/China Institute for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (CISSCA), China Agricultural University, Beijing, China)

“In this impressive volume, Dr. Ali provides a detailed and nuanced review of China-Pakistan relations in the context of dynamic global geopolitics. By doing so, he successfully challenges both dominant Western narratives that China is an expansionary predatory power and those that naively trumpet China as some form of benevolent savior. Conceptually strong and broad in its coverage, Dr Ali’s book presents a cautionary but ultimately hopeful vision for future global collaboration.” (Professor Dr. Glenn Banks, Professor of Geography, School of People, Environment and Planning, Massey University, New Zealand)

“This is the most up-to-date, comprehensive and nuanced analysis of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and its implications for Sino-Pakistan partnership. It avoids a China-centric view of CPEC by highlighting agency of multiple actors involved, sets the performance of CPEC so far against expectations along multiple fronts, and reaches very reasonable predictions of future scenarios for Sino-Pakistan partnership. Highly recommend it to academics, students, and practitioner interested in infrastructure-building, international development, Chinese foreign policy, and geopolitical economy.” (Professor Dr. Zhang Xin, School of Politics and International Relations, Deputy Director Center for Russian Studies, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China)

“This book on CPEC is the most comprehensive, wide-ranging and objective analysis of CPEC and, perhaps, the first of its kind. It covers the broad range of Pakistan China relations in the backdrop of Pakistan’s security and economic relationship with the United States and posits the discussion in agency-structure terms. It details areas of cooperation under CPEC and provides space to statements that view CPEC as transformational and also to those that urge caution. The essence of the narrative is captured in some of the chapter and section captions: “… low hanging fruit or pie in the sky?”, “… loud thunder, little rain?” “… great expectations or great disillusionment?” and “… opportunities: plenty of course, but for whom?” The book is a must read for policymakers, particularly those in strategic decision-making positions.” (Dr. Kaiser Bengali, eminent economist, former Head of the Chief Minister’s Policy Reform Unit, Government of Balochistan, and Adviser to the Chief Minister of Sindh for Planning and Development)

“Development and development cooperation were once niche concerns of a specialized community. However, this dynamic has shifted dramatically with China's development initiatives, spanning infrastructure projects to development paradigms. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) stands out as a prime example of these efforts, yet it remains under-researched despite its significance. Murad Ali’s insightful book addresses this critical analytical gap, offering a comprehensive exploration of CPEC. This monograph is a groundbreaking contribution and a milestone for understanding the evolving landscape of global development.” (Professor Dr. Stephan Klingebiel, Head Inter- and Transnational Cooperation, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Bonn, Germany)

“Carefully researched, cogently argued, and clearly written, this book by Murad Ali is a tour de force treatise on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as the flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in the context of the all-weather China-Pakistan relationship. Among other insights, the book reveals the hazy political and economic decision-making inside Pakistan that matters greatly to CPEC. The book will stand as a landmark contribution to the scholarship on China-Pakistan relations.” (Professor Dr. Xiangming Chen, Trinity College, Connecticut, USA and Fudan University, Shanghai, China)

“I would like to thank Dr. Murad Ali for writing such a thought provoking and multi-dimensional book on CPEC. This is not propaganda but an answer to the propaganda. This book is a very good response to many questions raised about CPEC by many people inside and outside Pakistan. One important question is that if China is favoring Pakistan by starting CPEC projects then why are Chinese becoming targets of attacks inside Pakistan? Dr. Murad Ali came out with a very bold stance about the policy of India and some western countries about CPEC. Another question. Is it true that CPEC has loud thunder and little rain? Dr. Murad Ali explained his arguments with facts not with fiction. This book is a guideline for all those who want a success for CPEC, but they are facing problems due to the lack of a good strategy. Readers can see a strategic depth in this wonderful book. I think that this book is an eye-opener for both the supporters and critics of CPEC. Supporters can improve CPEC by reading this book. Critics should review their position after reading the book.” (Hamid Mir, eminent Pakistani journalist, columnist, writer and host of political talk show Capital Talk)

“The book presents the logic of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and how bilateral relationship must be viewed as outweighing all other linkages. This may convince Pakistan’s ruling elite to look beyond their traditional dependence on the West with which it remains strongly tied and develop ownership of CPEC. Bringing better transparency in CPEC projects that is lacking thus far may help along with developing ties between the two societies that is currently non-existent.” (Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa, SOAS, University of London, UK, Author of ‘Military Inc. Inside Pakistan’s military economy’)

“The increasing role of China in shaping worldwide development is one of the great experiments of the 21st century. Much has been written about the Chinese BRI, but Murad Ali’s book is a serious academic attempt to challenge its international narratives of “debt trap”, the Chinese narrative of “win-win proposition”, and Pakistani narratives of “game changer” by taking an in-depth case study of the CPEC. In his theoretically informed and empirically robust investigation of CPEC, Murad Ali draws our attention to “contextual challenges” by investigating Pakistan's economic, political, technological, security, governance, and socio-environmental issues that are creating barriers to getting benefits from the implementation of CPEC. While many in the world believe that Chinese investment in the BRI can resolve the infrastructure deficit of developing countries, Murad’s research shows that without understanding contextual challenges, BRI countries will make little and uneven progress. This fact alone makes this book an essential reading for policymakers in developing and developed countries.” (Professor Dr. Imran Muhammad, School of People, Environment and Planning, Massey University, New Zealand)

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