James Durso
China is frustrated by Pakistan’s inability to protect Chinese workers on the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Aside from killing Chinese citizens, the violence has contributed to CPEC’s slow rollout in a country that needs more electricity, more clean water, more good roads, and, well, more everything, but is “out of friends and out of money,” according to The Economist.
In response to China’s scolding, Pakistan unveiled an anti-terrorism campaign to suppress the Pakistani Taliban, the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an ally of the Afghan Taliban and responsible for 700 attacks that killed 1000 people in 2023. The TTP operates partly from Afghan territory so Pakistan will have to attack TTP hideouts on Afghan soil at a time when relations are smarting from Islamabad’s 2023 expulsion of over 540,000 Afghan refugees. (The next phase of the plan may see 800,000 Afghans deported.)
While in China, Sharif met Dr. Wu Fulin, chairman of the Export-Import Bank of China, and promised action to improve governance, increase tax revenue, and ensure ease of doing business to attract foreign direct investment.
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