The EU and Pakistan significantly strengthened its partnership in the last decade. The EU states on its official website that Pakistan is a major development partner of the EU, with one of the largest programs in Asia. For the 2014-2020 period, the amount available for bilateral cooperation with Pakistan is €603 million Euros, complemented with a bilateral investment allocation of €15 million. Accounting for 14.3% of Pakistan's total trade in 2020, the Union is Pakistan's second most important trading partner, and ships over 28% of Pakistan's total exports.
On the other hand, Pakistan was the EU's 42nd largest trading partner only, accounting for 0.3% of EU trade. We can clearly observe a difference in both parties' trade relations: Pakistan is far stronger dependent on the EU's market than vice versa. Regarding security policies, both parties held a Joint Press release in 2019 focussing on Afghanistan's
peace process, stressing that this process should be truly Afghan-led and owned. However, the joint work on security related issues has not been very close nor specific but quite vague, as the EU – Pakistan Strategic Engagement Plan (SEP) suggests.
Instead, the EU addresses topics that cover political relations, actions to contain COVID-19, humanitarian aid, economic
and trade relations, as well as development cooperation. Recent statements on Pakistan by the EU foreign ministers underline efforts to build a strong long-term EU-Pakistan partnership and indicate full European support for democracy in the country. What that means in real policies remains unclear for both sides, however. The EU's inability in providing military support just yet means that it has only limited influence.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- EU's influence in Pakistan
- China's influence in Pakistan
- Outlook
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This text examines the intertwined influences of the European Union (EU) and China in Pakistan. The focus is on understanding the dynamics of their respective engagements, the implications for Pakistan's political and economic landscape, and the potential for conflict or cooperation between these external actors.
- The EU's strategic engagement partnership with Pakistan
- China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its impact on Pakistan
- The economic and political influence of both the EU and China
- The challenges of navigating competing interests and power dynamics
- Potential for conflict transformation through international mediation
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- The first chapter focuses on the EU's growing partnership with Pakistan, highlighting the significant financial and trade ties that have developed in recent years. The chapter also explores the EU's efforts to promote democracy and human rights in Pakistan, but acknowledges the limitations of its influence due to the lack of military support.
- The second chapter delves into China's influence in Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key component of the BRI. It examines the economic and strategic benefits for both countries while acknowledging the potential risks, such as debt traps and the lack of transparency.
- The third chapter analyzes the outlook for EU-China interactions in Pakistan, acknowledging the growing rivalry between the two actors and the implications for Pakistan's future. The chapter highlights China's increasing influence and the EU's limited options for counterbalancing it. It also proposes international mediation as a potential way to address the long-standing conflict between India and Pakistan.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Key terms and concepts in this text include EU-Pakistan strategic engagement, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), geopolitical influence, economic dependence, debt traps, conflict transformation, and international mediation.
- Quote paper
- Florian Lehmann (Author), 2022, EU-China relations with Pakistan, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/1274794