CPEC – Geo-Politics to Geo-Economics

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a multi-billion-dollar collection of ongoing and planned Chinese projects in Pakistan ranging from infrastructure development to the establishment of special economic zones and the sharing of technical expertise by China. For China, it is an integral part of its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) through which it aims to establish its economic hegemony in Eurasia and Africa. For Pakistan, it is an opportunity to bring its stumbling economy to some semblance of stability and even growth. Therefore, now the policy makers of the country must wake up and use the valuable human resource like youth for nation building. In this context, attainment of higher education should be ensured. However, there are controversies regarding the initiative as well, with critics decrying it as an attempt at the economic exploitation of Pakistan at the hands of China. In any case, CPEC is a project that has immense ramifications for the geo-politics of the entire region, particularly with regard to economic affairs. Hence, it is important to analyze its effects and the views of the general public regarding it in order to understand the situation in terms of geo-economics.