CHINA-PAKISTAN: CHINA PROPOSES JOINT PARLIAMENTARY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE FOR GREATER CONTROL ON CPEC

Li Zhanshu, Chairman of China's National People's Congress (NPC), proposed the formation of the joint committee for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, in a virtual meeting held with Asad Qaiser, the Speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly, toward the end of January. Both directed their secretaries to form the joint parliamentary oversight committee. This decision has been made at a time when concerns are rising about the slowdown of work on CPEC, the $50 billion Pakistan component of the Belt and Road Initiative. In the last week of January, Pakistan's Cabinet Committee on CPEC directed ministries to improve the pace of work on CPEC projects. Reporting the development Nikkei Asia (February 19), said the decision to form the joint parliamentary oversight committee was made in haste, and even the representative from Gwadar, the port city that is the center stage of CPEC, was not consulted. Aslam Bhootani told Nikkei Asia "I represent Gwadar in Pakistan's National Assembly, and I was not taken into confidence before making the announcement of the formation of Pak-China joint parliamentary committee on CPEC." It said experts believe this latest development reflects the frustration of Beijing with the slow pace of CPEC projects. They are of the view that China wants to get more closely involved with individual CPEC projects both due to some recent challenges with respect to the security of some parts of CPEC, such as Gwadar Port, and the economic and social impacts of COVID-19 on Pakistan. It quoted Malik Siraj Akbar, a South Asia analyst based in Washington, as saying that this move will increase anxiety among sections of the local population that have been expressing concerns over CPEC projects. "Getting things done quickly will benefit China in the short term but it will alienate the local populations in the long run," he said. Akbar explained that the Chinese have already come so far in CPEC that they will make sure it survives and moves forward even if Pakistan stumbles due to political or economic challenges. "Beijing wants CPEC projects completed because for China, CPEC [as the flagship project of Belt and Road] is mostly about its prestige and rise as a global power.





Subscribe to Newswire | Site Map | Email Us
Centre for China Analysis and Strategy, A-50, Second Floor, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi-110057
Tel: 011 41017353
Email: office@ccasindia.org