Club Lunch: Imperialism or Economic Cooperation? Pakistan, China and the Belt & Road Initiative

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is history’s most ambitious infrastructure development plan where China is building roads, railways and ports in a large number of countries. There are apprehensions in some countries especially after the election of Donald Trump and his America First policy that China has embarked on a movement to project its global power and influence through infrastructure investments. Pakistan is one of the recipients of China’s investments under the BRI where the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) connects the western region of China with the deep seaport of Gwadar in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan. The CPEC is considered one of the flagships of BRI that envisages investments of US$ 60 billion and is expected to cross US$100 billion in the next few years.

The speaker discussed the political and economic aspects of BRI from the perspective of a recipient country and try to deconstruct some of the myths associated with it.

Mr. Abdul Qadir Memon holds a Masters in Public Policy from Graduate Research Institute of Policy Studies in Japan. Mr. Memon has over 20 years of experience with the Government of Pakistan where he has served on diverse assignments related to diplomacy, administration and policy initiatives. Mr. Memon joined as Consul General of Pakistan in Hong Kong in July 2016.