“If there’s an opportunity, are willing to consider the risks and still do it.” Roger Lee, restaurant owner in IslamabadĬhina is Pakistan’s biggest foreign investor, and Pakistan relies heavily on Chinese support to bolster its economy. Over the years, Pakistan has developed a security apparatus specifically intended to safeguard Chinese projects. Subsequent high-profile attacks were carried out at the Chinese consulate in Karachi and at a hotel in Quetta, which was set to host the Chinese ambassador. Related: The biggest challenge for vaccine workers in Pakistan? Staying alive.Īttacks on Chinese workers in Pakistan date as far back as 2004, when a car bomb killed engineers in Gwadar, which became the flagship project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. It would have a devastating effect on the neighboring countries, particularly Pakistan.” “There’s going to be a power struggle going on. Khan said the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan could be a threat to Chinese projects if splinter groups decide to carry out more attacks inside Pakistan. It would have a devastating effect on the neighboring countries, particularly Pakistan.” Hamayoun Khan, strategic affairs expert in Islamabad Related: Can the Taliban make the ledgers work to govern? “ this trend continues and the only friendly country stops coming to Pakistan and stops investing, this will hurt Pakistan more than killing civilians in Pakistan,” said Hamayoun Khan, a strategic affairs expert in Islamabad. Anti-Chinese rhetoric has risen among Pakistani militant groups that oppose China's increasing involvement. In the past, militant groups in Pakistan, including the Pakistani Taliban, have targeted projects connected to BRI, in order to hurt Pakistan economically and destabilize the country. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister blamed the Dasu bus attack on militants connected to the Pakistani Taliban - and was backed by Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies - but the group hasn’t claimed responsibility.Ĭhina has invested tens of billions of dollars in Pakistan over the years through its Belt and Road Initiative, an ambitious network of infrastructure and telecommunications projects around the world. Weeks later, two Chinese engineers were targeted by a gunman in Karachi. Nine engineers were killed in a bus explosion in Dasu on July 14. Pakistan and China have both signaled a willingness to engage with Taliban authorities, but recent attacks in the country have many worried.Ĭhinese nationals were the focus of two such attacks in Pakistan just last month. As the Taliban begin their rule in Afghanistan, instability brings uncertainty for neighboring Pakistan and China, which is Pakistan's closest ally.
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