Memo – China-Pakistan relations: “China Pakistan Economic Corridor” (CPEC) and beyond – Dr. Rifaat Hussain
On the margin of the 2019 UN General Assembly, in a conversation with Pakistan Prime minister Imran Khan held at the Council for Foreign Relations, New York, Richard Haass, the Council’s President, pointed Pakistan as being « on the short list of countries receiving most Belt and Road Initiative investiments » and therefore addressed Prime Minister Imran Khan with two substantial questions: firstly, will this state of affairs not dramatically exacerbate Pakistan’s debt challenge, given the nature of Chinese support ? Furthermore, how does Pakistan claim to retain full sovereignety while inviting China to lead projects on such a scale?
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s answer simply outlined the great opportunity that China represents for Pakistan.