HOW CHINESE INVESTMENT INFLUENCE PAKISTANI POLICY MAKERS TO CON

• Posted by Hameed Khan December 5, 2018 - Filed in Other - ##Digital #media #Timeline #of #communication  #: Investments  #influence  #policy  #control  - 801 views

  Pakistan China’s friendship is exemplary from the last six to seven decades. China has always proved to be Pakistan’s iron friend and helped Pakistan in times of need. Pakistan is more dependent on China’s support on all International fronts and China has always very whole heartedly supported Pakistan’s narrative on every International forum. That’s why Pakistan’s friendship with China is famous as “All Weather Friends” and sometimes they are known as friendship “Taller than mountains and deeper than ocean”.

  China Pakistan Economic Corridor a $62 billion of Chinese Investments are going to change the destiny of Pakistan and therefore its attributed as the game changer for Pakistan. This will not only change the fate of Pakistan but will also be a helping hand for the clinching economy. CPEC is part of the larger plan of OBOR One Belt One Road initiative. Though Beijing and Islamabad are closer allies since decades, the CPEC is the reflection of intensified and expanded bilateral cooperation at a time of rising Chinese geopolitical ambition and persistent concerns about Pakistan’s security and development.

  This research proposal presents the initiative to research on how Chinese investments influence Pakistani policy makers to control Pakistani media. China is one the most prominent dictatorship in the world where its own media is strictly censored and scrutinized. China is spending billions of dollars on spying on its people and for the censorship of media. China along with other authoritarian states like Russia feels threatened from free media which can put their sovereignty at stake as they are very well aware that free media shape the world and people’s opinion.

              China therefore is investing billions of dollars worldwide to create its influence through Soft Power and hide the true picture of its country. They are using different techniques to portray its good image across the globe. Security like many other countries is also a very huge task for China’s future prosperity and development to engulf other countries with exports and have better trade routes under OBOR (One Belt One Road) Initiative.

   

  Keeping in view the security of Pakistan along with derailed economy Chinese are playing very wisely with Pakistan under CPEC and asked Pakistan’s military to provide security for the Chinese projects, its people and to the corridor which Pakistan has honored and raise almost fifteen thousand force for CPEC alone but that too is not enough for China and they are very much sacred of the free Pakistani media which can get hostile anytime against China with any foreign power money, the question now is how China is trying to influence Pakistani policy makers through its investments to control Pakistani media? For that reason, Pakistan should be wise enough to make its policies according to their own state narratives and interests not for the Chinese state interests.

  Chinese Investments and involvement in Pakistan’s geo-strategic politics are sending alarm bills across the globe. China has its own dynamics being one of the world’s populous country with its second largest economy which makes it one of the powerful country in the world.

  China too is using the tactics of “global Soft Power” a strategy which is used by any country for International attraction and have the ability and capacity to influence other countries and its people by various means. To achieve its goal and narrative set forth by China who is spending billions of dollars across the globe in achieving the Soft Power through influencing and promoting Chinese culture, traditions, values, language to win more friends for its country.

  Pakistan is not any different than any other country where China has no stakes at all, though both China and Pakistan always take the garb of “All Weather Friendship” and back in the history it was considered as friendship “Taller than the Mountains and Deeper than the Oceans”.

  China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)  a part of grander Chinese agenda of regional economic connectivity “the One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) initiative, the highly ambitious plan which is also considered as the game changer for Pakistan’s derailing economy with a network of highways, railways, industrialization, infrastructure development projects, pipelines accompanied by energy to address Pakistan’s severe energy needs for its economic growth along with the and information networks to deepen economic integration and connectivity across Asia and into Africa and Europe.

  What all this means for Pakistan and how they are encouraging the Pakistani policy makers to interpret their own country’s laws including Media Regulations according to their choice as they are the investors and we badly need them at times where we have defect budget and near to default Internationally. Again the answer is that through Soft Power they are twisting the country’s policies according to their own interests and which suits best to accomplish their narratives and agenda.

  China can deal with anything within its territory or elsewhere they have stakes in the world like Pakistan but the only thing they are much scared off if “the media”, if its mainstream media or social media as they feel that free media is threat to the authoritarian states and China too is one of them. They think that media is very powerful tool for shaping peoples’ opinions and dictatorship can’t withstand for long. China have a very controlled and censored media for many reasons and security they say is on the top.

  That’s one of the key reason they too want a controlled media in Pakistan and through their investments they are trying to persuade the Pakistani policy makers to change the media laws to a more confined walls which should be more censored and controlled as Pakistani media is very much hostile and free and that will always be a threat to Chinese dictatorship, narratives and stakes in the region.