CPEC 2.0: Overcoming the big security challenge

Unsurprisingly, among the topmost issues that Pakistan needs to address as it initiates the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is the security of Chinese citizens in Pakistan.

Although for Pakistan and China, there seem to exist no irreparable faultlines in bilateral ties, the two partners will have to deftly handle deadly and increasing security threats to Chinese personnel in Pakistan. In an environment of a multitude of platforms, propaganda and polarization, the challenge of preventing misunderstandings among the old but currently sensitively poised allies, is important.

Only days before the arrival of the Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Islamabad for bilateral negotiations and to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s summit, Chinese workers in Karachi were targeted by a fatal terror attack that left two Chinese citizens dead. The Chinese embassy issued a statement calling for urgent and hard-hitting action “to thoroughly investigate the attack, severely punish perpetrators and take all measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens, institutions and projects.”

This was yet another in a series of attacks targeting Chinese people and rising in frequency this year. Given the strategic significance of Pakistan-China relations in the national, regional, and international contexts, such attacks also represent a systematically orchestrated effort by external elements to undermine the bilateral partnership.

Hence the extraordinary effort to keep the relationship on track. Within a week of the deadly Karachi attack, the Chinese Premier Li Qiang did arrive on a four-day visit.

He acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts to secure the lives of Chinese people working in Pakistan and has not pulled back from any major cooperation initiative. He said, “Under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and the Pakistani leadership, our all-weather strategic cooperative partnership is constantly deepening. What we have is a unique and unbreakable iron-clad friendship that has stood the test of a changing international landscape.”

It is this architecture of the relationship that reflects Pakistan-China relations remain equally important for both partners. Tiding over the current security challenges remains a key focus for the two leaderships. Yet the rising stress of the security factor can potentially trigger missteps.

And it did about a fortnight ago. Questions and clarifications, counter-clarifications, and finally conspiracies and fake news all floated around. At a recent seminar where the Chinese ambassador expressed his concerns about security, he consistently emphasized the profound importance of the Pakistan-China relationship.

Pakistan has a huge security problem it must address more competently and wisely and with the continuous cooperation of the Chinese.

Nasim Zehra

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also underscored the renewed vigor in CPEC- 2.0. He illustrated mutual commitment by noting that the Chinese leadership emphasized security concerns and investment priorities during meetings, reiterating Pakistan’s role as an exceptional partner.

After Dar’s address, the ambassador returned to the podium, reiterating China’s security concerns while reaffirming Pakistan’s centrality as a unique development partner. He highlighted three critical points:

First, that security threats to Chinese citizens are a major concern and a constraint in accelerating progress on CPEC.

Second, Pakistan remains a pivotal ally for China, despite the challenges. Third, that anti-Chinese militants must be apprehended and brought to justice; that only through joint efforts can Pakistan and China effectively counter the threat.

Clearly the two CPEC partners want cooperation to move ahead. Nevertheless, well-planned and repeated terror attacks targeting Pakistan-China ties and China’s peaceful rise as a global power is a matter of grave “concern” for Beijing.

Pakistan has a huge security problem it must address more competently and wisely and with the continuous cooperation of the Chinese. Vigilance is also required to knock out the proliferation of unfounded negative news being spread on social media to undermine the exemplary trust that exists between the two partners.

– Nasim Zehra is an author, analyst and national security expert. 

X: @NasimZehra