‘China to speed up CPEC if Pakistan is cornered by India’

Chinese scholars and analysts have indicated that China may speed up the construction of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Director of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations affiliated to the Chinese Foreign Ministry Hu Shisheng, said China may speed up the construction of the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which passes through Azad Kashmir if Pakistan was isolated and cornered by India.

“China has to discuss with Pakistan about the current situation on how to handle and how to come out it,” Hu said speaking about threats of Pakistan’s isolation in the region and postponement of the SAARC summit after the Uri terror attack in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed.

“China has to further enhance relations with Pakistan if it feels cornered. A cornered regime some times will be more desperate, which will not be conducive to political development within Pakistan,” Hu said. “If Pakistan feels isolated from South Asia, then China will speed up CPEC to instil confidence in Islamabad,” he said.

However, Hu said this isolation may be conducive for Pakistan to remove internal differences on CPEC. The isolation “may be to the good of CPEC,” he said. “The completion of the CPEC may give Pakistan some confidence in handling differences with India more confidently,” he said.

“This may also change the Pakistani mindset on extremism, radicalism and terrorism and shift it to development,” he said.

Hu said India was purposely promoting the regional sub-regional integration in South Asia to isolate Pakistan.

“This will make Pakistan feel cornered and improving relations with India will be more difficult,” he said.

With the indefinite postponement of SAARC, a platform has been lost for India and Pakistan to improve relations, he has said.

On Xi’s proposed meeting with Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Goa, he said top leaders alone cannot solve problems.

There have to be candid and frank talks at the diplomatic level which would enable top leaders to take decisions, he said.

“China can not sit idle like in the past to let India-Pakistan tensions grow. May be in future, China would like the U.S. to be more active with India and Pakistan to stabilise their relations,” Hu said.