The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the most prominent of the investment corridors for China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). With at least $25 billion in total investment thus far, the CPEC encompasses the full spectrum of infrastructure projects, including roads, ports, power generation, and fibre optic cables. The power asymmetry between China and Pakistan—coupled with the impression that the BRI represents a unidirectional Chinese endeavour, not just in Pakistan but also globally—has contributed to the erroneous representation that Beijing is merely imposing the CPEC on its all-weather partners in Islamabad. On the contrary, this study highlights China’s adaptive strategies in dealing with a host of Pakistani actors (including political parties, local communities, and the military) against the backdrop of Pakistan’s evolving political landscape. In doing so, this paper foregrounds the importance of adopting a relational approach to studying how the BRI unfolds on the ground.

Dr. Filippo Boni is a lecturer in politics and international studies at The Open University in the UK and a research fellow in the European Research Council– funded project REDEFINE. He is interested in the politics of Chinese investments in South Asia and Europe, as well as in the international relations of South Asia, particularly in bilateral ties between Pakistan and China and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He is the author of Sino-Pakistani Relations: Politics, Military and Regional Dynamics, and his research has been published in Asian Survey, Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, and Asia Policy, among others.

This seminar is part of UVA’s “Assessment of China's Belt and Road Initiative” Project. It took place October 22, 2021.