Strategic implications of Pakistan and the region: hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, first session, May 17, 2011.

Today, is the fourth of a series of hearings on Afghanistan and Pakistan. And having just returned from the region, I will simply convey that at every stop and in every conversation I had, everybody had a sense of how critical this moment is for our strategies in the region, and in Afghanistan and in Pakistan. Some people have reached a level of impatience about where we are and where we're going. But it's clear to me that we need to be very careful and thoughtful, so that we get the policy right, and we do not lose the progress that has been made. It is also clear that we face a very real, complicated struggle of long duration between these countries.

Master's Thesis from the year 2016 in the subject Politics - Region: South Asia, grade: 1.65, University of Erfurt (Willy Brandt School), language: English, abstract: In recent times, Chinese foreign policy has transformed considerably and it is apparent that China now aims to reinvent its global image and also step-up its clout and impact at the international level. It also aims to give rise to an economic order that serves Chinese interests, something that China cannot expect from the largely Western-dominated institutions. The establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) was a decisive step in this direction. In a broader sense, this can be related to China’s ambitious "One Belt One Road" (OBOR) initiative which envisages the revival of the erstwhile Silk Road through two major projects- A Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. In April 2015, President Xi Jinping announced 46-billion-dollar investment plans in Pakistan in the shape of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which will connect the Chinese city of Kashgar to the strategically located Gwadar Port in Pakistan. This was conceived as a part of the OBOR initiative. Although a daunting undertaking, the successful completion of this project would result in unparalleled economic and strategic gains for both the parties involved. Also, the increased cooperation between these two neighbors engenders major ramifications for the foreign relations of both the countries. This thesis attempts to take a closer look at the CPEC and expound the strategic implications of the project for both China and Pakistan.

India and Pakistan have very different visions for Afghanistan, and they seek to advance highly disparate interests through their respective engagements in the country. This paper reviews the countries' interests in Afghanistan, how they have tried to further their interests, how Afghanistan navigates their rivalry, and the rivalry's implications for U.S. and Indian policy.

China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is one of the corridors of China's Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) which China first proposed in 2013. It is 21st Century version of the Ancient Silk Road with an aim to connect China with the rest of the world through road and maritime trade routes. Similarly, the planned outlook of CPEC manifests linkages with Central Asia, Africa and Europe. It comprises of roads, railway transportation networks, energy power plants, a port and special economic zones development, and cross border optical fibre cable installation (Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, 2017). Given the history of mutual trust between the two countries, CPEC was approved in April 2015 without any resistance from either sides. While it serves China as a gateway to other regions, for Pakistan it has multi-fold relevance which is the main research theme of this dissertation. This research analyzes CPEC's economic implications for Pakistan and strategic implications for both Pakistan and China. While around 147 countries signed the BRI, the response has not been warm from all countries. While some consider it a part of China's strategic plan to gain dominion that will result into a new world order, others like India, are more concerned about regional hegemony. There is an on-going economic crisis that started with COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and it got worse due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It will not be absurd to state that the biggest blow came in the form of energy supply shortages. This crisis serves as a reminder of how important it is to secure energy supply. However, China foresaw this looming crisis and this is one of the motivations behind BRI in general and CPEC in particular. If succeeded, CPEC will present China with a new trade route for its energy supply which currently goes through the Strait of Malacca. Furthermore, this research undertakes an in-depth analysis of several economic implications of CPEC; namely, how infrastructure investment may or may not alter the economic growth trajectory of a country and the role of redesigned supply chain and logistics in boosting local industry. Last but not the least, the much contentious topic of debt-trap is also discussed. The study relies on both quantitative and qualitative research methods depending on the nature of the designed research questions.

China’s economic surge into Pakistan comes at a time of heightened stakes in South Asia. Pakistan is in a deteriorating stalemate with its existential foe India, which has far greater conventional military and economic capabilities. Yet India faces a widening conventional arms deficit with China, whose economy has grown for nearly four decades far faster than India’s has. With an eye toward fostering potential like-minded partners in a new era of great power competition, the United States has attempted to build a stronger partnership with India. At the same time, Washington continues to rely on Islamabad for access to Afghanistan. China’s position remains flexible in the region, pursuing expansive trade and economic relations with India, embarking on growing investments in Pakistan through CPEC and across the broader region, while also investing in enhanced military capabilities that will eventually enable China to act on its growing ambitions in the Indian Ocean region. China’s economic surge into Pakistan is an opportunity to test the proposition of whether Beijing can translate its growing wealth into growing political authority and security influence in the region.