6. Pakistan's relationship with the Belt and Roads
With the comprehensive advancement of the Belt and Roads strategy, China and the countries along the Belt and Road will increase their cooperation space and potential in the future. Pakistan is an important gateway for China to the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, and its strategic position is very important. It is an important fulcrum for the construction of the “Belt and Road” in South Asia. Pakistan is a traditional friendly neighbor of China. The Belt and Roads strategic initiative proposed by China is in the overall interest of Pakistan and has received a positive response from Pakistan.
(1) Pakistan plays an important role in the Belt and Roads initiative
1. Pakistan ’s strategic position is very important
In terms of geographic location, Pakistan is an important country along the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”.
Pakistan is located in the northern Arabian Sea, close to the Persian Gulf exit, between the first route of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the first route of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Economic Belt. It is an important part of the Silk Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The meeting point can become the connecting country of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
In particular, Gwadar Port in Balochistan Province, southwestern Pakistan, guards many important international routes from Africa and Europe via the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf to East Asia and the Pacific. It is located away from the Strait of Hormuz, the main global oil supply channel. It is only about 400 kilometers, and 40% of the world ’s oil transportation and about 60% of China ’s oil imports are transported through this channel. The strategic position is very important.
For China, Gwadar Port is a shortcut for oil transportation from Europe to China, avoiding the bypass to the Strait of Malacca. If a strategic channel connecting Gwadar Port and Karachi Port in southern Pakistan through the entire north and south of Pakistan, passing through southern China and reaching northern Xinjiang is built, the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road will be effectively connected and can play a greater role. Leading role in development.
In 2001, China began to assist the construction of Gwadar Port, agreeing to invest one-fifth of the construction of Gwadar Port's first-phase project, and sent 450 engineering and technical personnel to participate in the construction. , and China's total investment in Gwadar Port is planned to be US $ 1.62 billion. In February 2015, Zhuhai City and Gwadar City signed a memorandum and concluded a friendship city, which took the lead in participating in the construction of C-Pec and the “Belt and Road” initiative.
Gwadar Port is not only a supply station and transit base for China in the Indian Ocean, but China can also rely on Gwadar Port as a way to leave the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. The port can become an important supporting point for the “Belt and Road” strategy and play an important supporting role for the “Belt and Road” strategy. At the same time, Gwadar Port and Karachi Port are Pakistan ’s two important port cities on the Arabian Sea, and they can also serve as Pakistan ’s foreign trade ports, driving the development and prosperity of Pakistan ’s vast interior.
2. The political role of Pakistan is very important
Pakistan has the following important political characteristics:
First, Pakistan is an Islamic country. Among the countries along the “Belt and Road”, the Islamic countries and the countries with greater Islamic influence account for the majority. A good relationship with Pakistan can become an important example of developing friendly relations with other Islamic countries.
Second, Pakistan is an important developing country. Pakistan is the second largest country in South Asia except India, and has huge economic development potential. Pakistan ’s total GDP not only ranks second in South Asia, but it is also at the upper middle level compared to other countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt, after China, India, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other large countries.
Third, Pakistan is an important political bridge country. Pakistan is politically located among major powers, and maintains friendly relations with major powers such as the United States, China, and Russia, and can play a political role as a bridge between different powers.
Fourth, Pakistan is the gateway to South Asia. Pakistan is located at the junction of Central Asia, West Asia and South Asia, and has close political, economic and cultural relations with different geopolitical sectors.
In short, Pakistan is in a sensitive position of national power relations and geopolitics, and more importantly: Pakistan firmly establishes good relations with China. Therefore, developing friendly relations with Pakistan is conducive to providing a role model for developing relations with other countries. If Pakistan develops and prosperes under China ’s “Belt and Road” concept, and easing its relations with neighboring countries due to economic development and making regional tensions stabilize and ease, China ’s “Belt and Road” strategy will become more convincing and inspiring It will also attract more countries to actively participate in the promotion and implementation of the “Belt and Road” strategy.
(2) Pakistan needs "Belt and Road"
The advancement of the “Belt and Road Initiative” requires Pakistan, and Pakistan needs the “Belt and Road Initiative” even more.
Pakistan ’s domestic problems have been raging in recent years: The Pakistani Taliban has frequently launched terrorist attacks and caused heavy casualties; Pakistan ’s internal ethnic power is strong, and the central government has weak control over tribal areas; the opposition party has continuously launched protests and demonstrations against the ruling party, and the domestic political situation Instability; China lacks related industries that can fully promote employment and development, and economic development is declining.
In terms of peripheral international relations, Pakistan ’s relations with India have not been effectively improved for a long time, and India and Pakistan often clash in Kashmir; relations with Afghanistan are also unstable because of repeated terrorist attacks between Pakistan and Afghanistan. People and Indians accuse Pakistan of terrorist attacks and instability in their countries .
Therefore, Pakistan can be described as a domestic and foreign trouble. China's "One Belt, One Road" development plan fully meets Pakistan's needs in all aspects. The Pakistani side hopes to seize the strategic opportunity period of the “Belt and Road” and the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, take the express and free ride of China's economic development, and accelerate economic development.
Through the construction of the "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor", Pakistan is expected to become a Chinese commodity logistics center and commodity distribution center on the "Belt and Road". On the one hand, it can drive sales of goods and services to China and even transportation through Pakistan in South Asia, West Asia and the Middle East. To the Asia-Pacific region; on the other hand, with the geographical advantage of the "trade channel" between Chinese and Western commodities, Pakistan has brought commodities from China, South Asia, West Asia, and the Middle East to Pakistan, further promoting local economic development.
The construction of the "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor" is not only conducive to deepening China-Pakistan trade potential, but also conducive to improving the status of Pakistan's industry from the outside through industrial transfer. As the world's largest manufacturing production and processing base, China is currently facing a new round of industrial transfer and structural upgrades. At the same time, Pakistan's infrastructure upgrades, the increase in demand for light industrial commodities markets, further opening up to Chinese investment, and abundant labor resources , The gradient difference with the Chinese industry, etc., provides the basis and conditions for Pakistan to undertake the industrial transfer of China.
All of the above are conducive to greatly improving Pakistan's domestic economic and social security conditions, and at the same time promoting the improvement of relations with neighboring countries.
From the perspective of China-Pakistan relations, Pakistan is a traditional friendly country in China, and developing friendly and cooperative relations with China is the consensus of the Pakistani government and the opposition. According to the Pakistani side, "Friendship with China is the cornerstone of Pakistan ’s foreign policy." When President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan in April 2015, during a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif, Sharif pointed out that "Pakistan supports China's" Belt and Road "initiative and will actively participate in the construction of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
(3) China-Pakistan cooperation path based on the “Belt and Road”
1. Build a transportation network connecting Pakistan and Xinjiang, China
One of the main goals of the “Belt and Road” strategy is to expand regional transportation capacity by effectively connecting regional transportation networks. In order to effectively connect the “Silk Road Economic Belt” and the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”, it is also The southern Xinjiang region of Xinjiang, China, has opened an estuary facing the Indian Ocean. Our country needs to assist Pakistan in constructing a strategic channel connecting the “Belt and Road” that runs through the entire northern and southern borders of China and southern China.
The construction of a strategic channel connecting Pakistan and China ’s Xinjiang can, on the one hand, connect the “Silk Road Economic Belt” and the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”, and at the same time build a transportation artery that runs through the country ’s north and south. The important southern towns of Kashi, Hotan and other places opened the estuary facing the Indian Ocean.
2. Vigorously build the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor"
It aims to expand bilateral exchanges and cooperation between China and Pakistan in the fields of transportation, energy, marine economy, etc. in order to strengthen China-Pakistan The mutual relations between the two countries and the promotion of common development. "
. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will include 30 large-scale projects with a total investment of approximately US $ 32 billion."
In April 2015, President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan Stan. The leaders of China and Pakistan agreed to promote China-Pakistan relations to an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership. President Xi and Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif jointly announced the start of five major power projects, and signed 51 cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding with Pakistan. The investment scale reached 46 billion US dollars, which is equivalent to three times the total foreign investment received by Pakistan in the past 8 years. .
On April 27, 2015, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of the State Council clearly announced for the first time in the keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Asia-Europe Interconnection Industry Dialogue that China is planning to build six countries including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor together with the countries along the “Belt and Road” The Great Economic Corridor and the Six Economic Corridors will become the material carriers of the Silk Road Economic Belt. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is regarded as the flagship project and model project of the “Belt and Road” initiative.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has important strategic significance. This economic corridor can not only promote Pakistan's domestic economic development, but also create a large number of employment opportunities for Pakistan. At the same time, this economic corridor will also open the estuaries facing the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf in southern China, greatly facilitating the economic and trade exchanges between the formerly closed southern Xinjiang and the outside world, thereby effectively driving the economic development of China's southern Xinjiang inaccessible areas . At the same time, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor can also extend to Iran and Persian Gulf countries and benefit more regions and people. Upon completion, this corridor will not only become an important channel connecting China and Pakistan, but will also benefit about 3 billion people living in China, South Asia, Iran and the Persian Gulf.
3. Give play to Pakistan's active role in the SCO
The member states, observer states and dialogue partners of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are all located on the “Belt and Road”, such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Belarus, India and Turkey are located in the “Silk Road Economic Belt” In the past, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Iran are on the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road". Therefore, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a regional cooperation agency that can naturally rely on the "Belt and Road" strategy. The implementation of the "Belt and Road" strategy can fully leverage the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to better implement and implement it. China can strengthen cooperation with the countries along the “Belt and Road” within the framework of the existing SCO to further enhance the mutual trust between China and the SCO member countries, observers and dialogue partners along the “Belt and Road”.
In short, Pakistan and South Asia are indispensable places for the “Belt and Road” initiative. The peace, stability, development and prosperity of South Asia will provide a good geopolitical environment for the advancement and implementation of the “Belt and Road” strategy. Driven by the "Belt and Road" strategy, it has further developed and prospered. The key to peace and stability in South Asia lies in India and Pakistan. China should deepen cooperation with Pakistan and encourage Pakistan to use the opportunity of joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to properly handle disputes with its neighbors and carry out in-depth cooperation in various fields to achieve common prosperity and development in South Asia. The goal.
