Virtual Conference on ‘Cpec: Pakistan- China Security and Strategic Cooperation’

On the 30th of June, 2021, Centre for Chinese Legal Studies (CCLS), Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law, (SAHSOL), Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), organized a virtual conference on “CPEC: Pakistan-China Security and Strategic Cooperation”. The conference was attended by the eminently respected Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman Defence Committee, Prof. Uzair J. Kayani, Head of Department, SAHSOL, LUMS, and Prof. Sikander A. Shah, Director, CCLS, SAHSOL, LUMS. The virtual event was also attended by members of the Pakistan-China Institute and the LUMS community.

Prof. Uzair J. Kayani welcomed the esteemed Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed as a key visionary figure in recognising and promoting the importance of Pakistan andChina’s relationship at a crucial juncture when the world is witnessing enormous shifts in global policy. Prof. Sikander A. Shah moderated the discussion and  expounded upon both the opportunities and pressing security challenges in relation to CPEC.

Senator Mushahid Hussain, while giving  a comprehensive overview of the Pakistan-China relationship, explained that it is not limited tothe China-Pakistan Economic Corridor flagship project. He poignantly contextualized the discussion given the evolving US-China relationship, which has not only altered the geopolitics of the region but can also be regarded as the “beginnings of a new Cold War”. Senator Hussain spoke of President Biden’s multilateral approach, or the recruitment drive aimed at managing China’s growing influence in the region, and globally. In this vein, he highlighted the recently held Quadrilateral Security Dialogue between the United States, Japan, Australia, and India; G-7 countries meeting; US-NATO summit; and the US-EU summit, each of which openly declared China as a global security challenge. Senator Mushahid also referenced the recent interview of Prime Minister Imran Khan with China Global Television Network (CGTN), that hinted at the external pressures Pakistan is facing from the US and reaffirmed the Premier’s resolve that Pakistan will not succumb to any external pressure and downgrade its relationship with China.

In addition, he talked about the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, with its subsequent surge in violence, and the stalemate in intra-Afghan dialogue that is expected to drag Pakistan into the protracted conflict and pose security challenges to the region. Senator Mushahid cited the United Nations Security Councils’ Monitoring Team’s Twenty-Sixth report (July,2020) that warns of the growing presence of terrorists in Afghanistan, which, in addition to the Indian state-sponsored terrorism directed at CPEC, will compound the security challanges faced by Pakistan.

He also talked in detail about the CPEC projects  that are instrumental in shifting Pakistan's focus from geopolitics to geoeconomics by boosting connectivity, commerce, trade, and cooperation in the region. He referred to Gwadar port as the mainstay of the CPEC which, in the words of Robert Kaplan, chief geopolitical analyst, “has the potential to be the Rotterdam of the Arabian Sea''. He lauded the completion of the first phase of CPEC projects that have brought monumental changes to previously underdeveloped and illutilized areas like Thar.  He also spoke of the second phase of CPEC that primarily focuses on agriculture, education, socio-economic development, Special Economic Zones and relocation of Chinese small and medium enterprises, that will further advance economic and human development in Pakistan.

Lastly, he commented upon the growing strategic cooperation between Pakistan and China, where the latter has backed Pakistan’s efforts in the UNSC after the illegal Indian occupation of Kashmir. This cooperation has become significant particularly in light of the belligerent policies of Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and the Sino-Indian clashes at the Ladakh border that have built pressure on India to deflect the tensions, resume ceasefire across the LOC, and hold talks with the Kashmiri leadership. He also highlighted the common challenge of hybrid warfare that both Pakistan and China face from its adversaries, which can be overcome by dispelling the myths surrounding CPEC. Senator Hussain concluded by referring to China as a crucial pivot in Pakistan’s general foreign policy and emphasizing the tremendous potential of the CPEC in propelling infrastructural and human development in Pakistan. Although he recognised that the security threat is real, he contended that these challenges are surmountable given Pakistan’s strategic space in the region by virtue of CPEC, and  the growing relationship with its neighboring countries.

Prof. Sikander thanked the participants for attending the conference. He reiterated the importance of producing cogent academic literature on the subject, and holding constructive discourses surrounding CPEC and Pakistan-China strategic cooperation, which  remains resilient even in testing times.