It’s no secret that Pakistan and China have recently strengthened their long-standing relationship. With preparations for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor well underway, ties between Beijing and Islamabad seem to be stronger than ever. According to a senior economist in Karachi, “As the U.S. looks inward, China is reaching out.”

China and Pakistan looks to extend their $57 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan.

On November 14, 2017, Pakistan dropped its bid to have the Diamer-Bhasha Dam financed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework. The current Chairman of Pakistan’s Water & Power Development Authority has claimed that the conditions stated by the Chinese for financing Diamer-Bhasha “were not doable and against our interests.” These conditions included the Chinese ownership of the project, including operation and maintenance, and the securitization of the Diamer-Bhasha project by pledging another operational dam.