- Protect the alliance
Chinese government officials are usually very conservative about their communications, even by diplomatic standards. That is why concerns raised by their ambassador in Pakistan, Yao Jing, about ‘propaganda being spread about friendly ties between two countries’, ought to be taken very seriously by Islamabad. That he mentioned CPEC suggests – though there might be more behind the anxiety – that remarks by some government officials, most notably the advisor to prime minister on commerce, might have rubbed Beijing the wrong way. Indeed the government surprised many people when it showed signs of a Malaysia-like revision of some aspects of the Corridor.
This must be the first time the Chinese have expressed their dissatisfaction so forthrightly. No doubt they are concerned about a possible, partial rollback of CPEC, just like Malaysia, that would not only put the spanner in CPEC but also disturb the wider OBOR (one belt one road) project. And before any other senior government minister is allowed to shoot from the hip, perhaps someone should brief everybody about just what we stand to lose of CPEC, and the Pak-China equation, is needlessly compromised. It is for a reason, after all, that the ambassador had to remind people that Prime Minister Imran Khan promised to strengthen bilateral ties yet more.
Pakistan must not forget that despite the odd hiccup CPEC is, at the end of the day, indeed a game-changer. There is no way the country could erect the infrastructural network, which CPEC is now creating, on its own. Scandalising this project will not just hurt our economy, but also our standing internationally, especially in the region. Already there are enough parties trying to take the wind out of the landmark CPEC project; principally India and USA.
The government must immediately address Chinese concerns and avoid unqualified remarks that can cause lasting damage.