Chinese President Xi Jinping has cancelled his scheduled visit to Pakistan – a move that was already feared in view of the ongoing sit-ins in Islamabad by Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri. Some circles in the federal capital claim that China’s security team did not give security clearance to their president to visit to Pakistan. Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal says that the nation will not forgive Khan and Qadri for cancellation of the visit. However, addressing the participants of the sit-in, Khan claims that the government does not have any solid plan to attract foreign investment in the country. He claims that the government was going to sign loan agreements with the Chinese government to the tune of $35 billion, putting the generations of the Pakistani nation in debt servicing.
China is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and luckily Pakistan has traditional, historical, and friendly relations with it. In addition to cooperation in political and defense fields, China has emerged as a big trade partner of Pakistan. In a situation where Pakistan is lagging behind even the developing countries, it is a good omen that a giant neighbor is willing to invest in Pakistan and help build an economic corridor from Kashgar to Gwadar. The geo-political situation in the region demands a close cooperation between the two countries. Pakistan is rich in human resources with skilled labour force. There is a need to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries and the political leadership in Pakistan should have to unite on national issues setting aside political differences. In this connection, Sino-Indian relations is a good example that despite a border dispute, both the countries are members of the BRIC bloc and are cooperating in business and investment in each other’s countries. The Sino-Indian trade volume has increased manyfold in recent years and they are looking to take common stance on various international issues.
The 21st century is the century of internationalism where the countries will have soft borders as the days of iron curtain and world wars are over. Only economic blocs will rule the world with their performance in economic activities with mutual cooperation for the wellbeing of the people. If we do not know the prerequisite of the modern era, at least we should replicate economic plan of any developed country and customize it according to our needs.
