Miffed by growing conspiracies against the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China has made it clear to the entire world that plots to sow discord in its ties with Pakistan will not prevail. Although China has not named the countries or forces that are hatching conspiracies against this mega infrastructure development project, the US and its lackey India appear to be the principal opponents of the CPEC at this point in time. These two countries have unleashed an undeclared war against this project through which China has pledged $57 billion to build power stations, major highways, new railways and high capacity ports along the corridor. The CPEC is a key part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road plan to further tie China to Eurasia. It is true that the sustainability of Chinese projects has come under fresh scrutiny in recent months, as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in July warned that any potential International Monetary Fund bailout for Pakistan's economy should not be used to pay off Chinese lenders. India claims that the project passes through what it says a "disputed territory". Moreover, the Western media seems to have unleashed an anti-China campaign over its crackdown in the far western region of Xinjiang where Beijing faces a serious threat from Islamist militants and separatists. A group of Pakistani businessmen whose Chinese wives and children have been allegedly trapped in Xinjiang are said to be lobbying the PTI government to help pressure Beijing into allowing their release, although Beijing has rejected accusations of mistreatment.

China, the former Middle Kingdom, has reacted to this situation rather calmly; it is however showing no complacency towards what it ought to do in response to developments inimical to its historic friendship with Pakistan. China welcomes the good start made in its "all-weather" partnership with Pakistan following the election of the new government under Prime Minister Imran Khan, State Councillor Wang Yi told Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. But "any conspiracies attempting to incite disharmony or interfere in China-Pakistan relations will not prevail," Wang added, without elaborating, according to a statement released by China's foreign ministry on Wednesday. China and Pakistan should continue to make "all-out" efforts to promote the economic corridor, expand trade and reduce poverty to bring more benefits to the ordinary people of Pakistan, Wang reportedly said. That is why foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told his Chinese counterpart that the relationship between China and Pakistan will not change, regardless of circumstantial changes.

Although Wang did not elaborate, a Financial Times news item in which PTI government's adviser Razzak Dawood has been quoted out of context has caused a considerable controversy over how unfavourably the new government in Pakistan looks at the CPEC. While China has expressed its satisfaction over the clarification issued by Dawood, damage seems to have been done mainly because of the fact that the newspaper in question enjoys a very high repute globally. This unsavoury development seems to have warranted the visit of Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to Beijing where he met, among others, President Xi Jinping, to reiterate his country's commitment to the project. Dispelling suspicions and removing doubts that the controversial interview of Razzak Dawood had created, foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has clearly unveiled his government's approach to Pakistan's relationship with China and the under-execution CPEC by telling his Chinese counterpart that the corridor is "extremely important" to Pakistan and has brought "deep impact" for jobs, development and livelihood, and Islamabad will take effective measures to ensure the security of the entire route. Be that as it may, China through its quick response has sent a strong message across that it has the ability to stop, cease, or prevent any activity that threatens its relationship with Pakistan at the beginning or early phase, before it becomes too difficult or unmanageable. Insofar as Pakistan is concerned, there is growing realization among people, including government functionaries, that the CPEC is nothing but a national cause, which needs to be protected and preserved at all cost.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2018