Beyond Economics: The Politico-cultural Implications of Chinese Economic Engagements with Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: This study intends to explore the possibility of politico-cultural implications of Chinese economic engagements with Pakistan in the wake of CPEC.

Research Gap: The economic engagement between Pakistan and China has achieved a flamboyant zenith in the wake of the Chinese One Belt One Road (OBOR) and one of its flagship projects: the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). While many researchers have highlighted the potential positive and negative aspects of this engagement, there is a lack of research exploring the possibility of politico-cultural implications of these engagements.

Design/Methodology/Approach: Qualitative content analysis of the existing literature on Chinese economic engagements with South East Asia and Africa, and of the salient features of Chinese economic engagements with Pakistan.

The Main Findings: Chinese economic engagements around the world and with Pakistan are not strictly limited to the economic sphere and there can be various politico-cultural implications.

Theoretical / Practical Implications of the Findings: Employs theoretical framework of neo-colonialism and Marxist theories of imperialism for the scrutiny of Chinese economic engagements with Pakistan. It paves the way for future field researches on politico-cultural implications of Chinese economic engagements with Pakistan till date and their critical scrutiny.

Originality/Value: Unlike both overoptimistic and reactionary analysis of Chinese economic engagements with Pakistan, this research attempts to theoretically examine various dimensions of these engagements.