Opinion Editorials

ALICE Wells, the US Acting Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asia Affairs, recently completed her visit to Islamabad. During her visit, she criticised over $60 billion Pak-China Economic Corridor (CPEC). Several firms blacklisted by the World Bank have received contracts in CPEC, Alice Wells claimed. She further…

Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser Tuesday said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a game changer not only for Pakistan but the whole region. During meeting with Speaker Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Fida Muhammad Nashad, he said Gilgit-Baltistan was the gateway to China and beyond thus progress and prosperity of the region…

CHINA-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a windfall opportunity for maritime sector, has also resulted in the growth prospects for shipbuilding industry in the country. But, the Karachi Shipyard with limited tonnage capacity is unable to compete with regional yards particularly in the Gulf which are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for all…

The mistrust in the relations between Pakistan and the United States has markedly been overcome over the last one year and a half. Prime Minister Imran Khan has had a meeting with the US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of year. In a sign of significant improvement in the…

On January 21, one of the main US diplomats for South Asia, Ms Alice Wells, repeated her criticism of CPEC, which came across as schooling Pakistan on why CPEC was a bad deal for Pakistan, and how Pakistan and Pakistanis are mistaken about the transformational impact that CPEC is believed…

Under the second phase of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA-II), China has immediately eliminated tariffs for Pakistan on 313 high-priority tariff lines. The government is celebrating its success, whereas the critics are questioning the relevance of these concessions for Pakistan. It is therefore important to take an objective look…

ISLAMABAD: China and Pakistan have signed phase-II of the free trade agreement (FTA), which has become effective on January 1, 2020, 15 years after the phase-I was operationalised. In this article, we weigh the possible benefits Pakistan can draw from this agreement. China is already ranked as the second largest export…

The beginning of the year 2020 marks a new turn in China-Pakistan economic relations, with the operationalisation of the second phase of the China Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA-II). The agreement has immediately abolished tariffs for Pakistan on 313 products, while a total of 75% of the tariff lines will…

The Belt and Road project provides a wonderful opportunity to boost cooperation, build cooperative frameworks and share cooperation outcomes. Launched in the backdrop of slow global economic recovery, a host of new threats posed to economic globalization, and greater calls for protectionism, President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative is…

Pakistan’s economy had a bumpy year in 2019, with surging inflation and debt problems, but it has started to show some positive signs. Standing at the crossroads of 2020, the iron brothers – China and Pakistan – expect to work hand-in-hand helping Pakistan to make an economic comeback. Pakistan’s year-on-year…