Chinese media goes gaga over Imran Khan after his party tweets in Mandarin

NEW DELHI: In what one Pakistani newspaper called "an unprecedented development", Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party late last week tweeted in Chinese - reportedly for the first time - about "strengthening and improving" ties with China. And

Chinese media

is seeing that as a very good sign, going by some headlines over the weekend.That, and Khan's talk of making use of the Chinese model in pulling millions of Pakistanis out of poverty.

Chinese media sees this very un-capitalist avowal as a big sign that Khan will lean China's way even more.

The influential state-backed publication Global Times carried an article confidently titled, "China-Pakistan ties, economic corridor will endure" and another one optimistically titled, "Will Imran Khan pivot Pakistan from US to China?"

The Chinese Embassy in Islamabad also replied to PTI's Mandarin tweet - in English.




"We have noticed the new signals," said Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of Global Times, according to Pakistan's The News International.

"Movement for Justice Party's victory is a major political event in Pakistan...Development will once again become the main theme of the country which needs support from infrastructure," said an op-ed in Global Times, referring to Khan's party by its English translation name.

Th other op-ed, the optimistically titled one, said it was noteworthy that the first foreign country Khan mentioned in his victory speech was China.

"The first foreign country he mentioned in his address wasn't predicted by many. China, the largest foreign direct investor, running the Belt and Road flagship project and the most dependable ally of Pakistan, was also the only country the new leader talked of taking lessons from," said the op-ed that wondered whether Khan would pivot Pakistan toward China from the US.

The new pro-CPEC Khan
The title of this op-ed "Will Imran Khan pivot Pakistan from US to China?" is a bit perplexing because Pakistan's had a two-pronged pivot - in opposing directions toward the US as well as China- that it has used distinctly to its advantage all these years and to the frustration of many countries, especially India. In fact, one could go so far as to say it's the US that has a pivot toward Pakistan - no thanks to the Afghan problem - and the latter that pivots toward China. Thus, China's $50-plus (or $62 billion according to the Chinese press) investment in Pakistan, for the

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

(CPEC)

Khan, though, hasn't always had good things to say about the $50-plus billion CPEC project. To be sure, he's been mostly worried about what he thinks is the lack of transparency and the possibility of widespread corruption at CPEC's myriad projects, rather than about what the project will do for the country.

The optimistic Chinese media op-ed drew attention to that.

"Despite a barrage of criticism he threw at (former disgraced PM Nawaz) Sharif's handling of Chinese investments, Khan is not a skeptic of the projects themselves. The manifesto highlights that the CPEC will be completed with more focus on partnerships and joint ventures rather than Pakistan's high dependence on import of goods and services," said the Global Times piece.

The 'anti-West' Khan

The op-ed is particularly taken by Khan's talk of making use of the Chinese model to solve the problem of poverty in his country.

"Imran Khan's politico-economic views do not seem to be influenced by his Western education. He questions the practicality of capitalist economic policies. He is also a strong critic of US President Donald Trump, the US and US-led wars. In his latest address, he vowed to establish a balanced relationship with the US as against the current one being dominated by the US...Imran Khan's plan is a clear pivot by Pakistan, away from the US orbit and further into the Chinese bloc," said the op-ed.

The News International, though, quoted Tom Hussain, a China watcher as saying that Khan is going the extra mile to make up for his criticism of

Beijing

in the past, and that China needs to, and would, watch the new Pakistan government closely.

"The PTI has been working overtime to repair its relations with the Beijing, which had been damaged by its disparaging remarks and allegations of corruption about CPEC projects in the past," said Hussain.