Abstract
Pakistan has been facing imminent socio-economic, political and diplomatic challenges since 2001. The on-going war on terror has cost losses of infrastructure in the country amounting to $60 billion. China has employed its own version of soft power ranging from diplomatic support on crucial issues to foreign aid and investment, cultural exchanges and higher education opportunities for Pakistani youth. Among them, one of the most important projects is the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with a total investment of $62 billion. Against this backdrop, this study intends to highlight how China is projecting its soft power in Pakistan and to what extent Chinese soft power could heal Pakistan’s socio, economic, political and diplomatic disasters. This study reveals that Chinese soft power strategies have left far higher imprints on Pakistan through diplomatic support, investment, and provision of scholarships.
Highlights
There is plenty of literature on China-Pakistan military and nuclear partnership, not much has been written on Chinese soft power exercise over Pakistan
It is worth mentioning here that crucial Chinese diplomatic support provided an edge to Pakistan and contains India’s intentions on forums for India’s exemption in Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and India’s attempts in the UNSC to designate Pakistani individuals and organizations as terrorists
Among members of the UNSC, China is the only country that supports Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir issue, which is a major constraint for India to pursue its accession intentions
Summary
There is plenty of literature on China-Pakistan military and nuclear partnership, not much has been written on Chinese soft power exercise over Pakistan. China realizes the critical role of higher education in the projection of its soft power It is expanding its global influence through the promotion of international exchanges and collaborations in higher education by establishing Confucius Institutes (CIS), and inviting talented youths from overseas to pursue higher education in Chinese universities (Yang, 2010). During the visit of the Chinese President Xi Jinping in April 2015 to the National University of Modern Languages Pakistan (NUML), Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in higher education under which both stakeholders would host exchange visits of students and faculty members. An example of Chinese foreign economic policy is the development of One Belt, One Road (OBOR) which will directly influence 4.4 billion people with collective GDP of $2 trillion Once completed, it will connect China with Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, and Europe (NDRC, 2015). Pease see the table below for detailed observation of energy projects under the CPEC
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