DefinePK

Abstract

Pakistan and China have over the past many decades steadily developed a relationship that has become the envy of many global and regional powers. With rising US-China competition and India being labelled as Net Security Provider in the Indian Ocean Region by the Americans, the Pakistan-China relationship has been placed under greater scrutiny with hybrid threats being propped up to create friction amongst the two neighbours. These hybrid threats are across a broad canvas and across the geographical spread of Pakistan. The systemic execution of these threats has resulted in adverse consequences for both Pakistan and China. What is essentially required is identification of the threats and a meaningful and positive response to counter the threats in order to restore confidence of local and Chinese investors in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). CPEC brings the promise of regional connectivity, industrial growth, and socio-economic upliftment while ensuring the economic revival of Pakistan. This requires Pakistan to proactively identify threats, and propagate a coherent counter-narrative while strengthening institutional competencies across the board. This paper dilates upon the history and pillars of Pak-China relationship and the hybrid threats that pose a challenge to this decades’ old all-weather friendship. It also attempts to provide a way forward on how to cater for these threats under the current geopolitical environment and economic conditions.