Amid intensifying global trade wars and shifting geopolitical alliances, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) faces renewed scrutiny from critics aligned with Western interests.

Regrettably, certain pseudo-intellectuals, paid economists and partisan journalists within Pakistan have joined this chorus, questioning CPEC’s sustainability amid the ongoing US-led tariff and trade wars.

These efforts appear designed to entangle China and its allies—particularly those in the Global South, BRI member states and developing nations worldwide.

The aggressive US tariff regime is part of a broader strategy aimed at undermining China’s macroeconomic stability and curbing its global influence.

This appears to be a well-orchestrated policy by the new neocons of modern capitalism, ruthlessly dismantling global governance, economies, industries, societies and supply chains.

Consequently, the ASEAN region faces difficult choices.

However, the recent state visits of President Xi Jinping to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia succeeded in maintaining economic partnerships and formulating a prospective joint response to US unilateral tariffs.

The US tariff wars have reshaped global markets, promoting a power-centric model that prioritizes self-interest over mutual development.

Under slogans like “Making America Great Again,” this approach has fostered isolationism, protectionism and efforts to destabilize China’s economy.

Discriminating against others through a flawed trade surplus narrative, the US has triggered abnormal global trends.

These developments demand urgent economic reassessment, political coordination, social cohesion and, above all, diplomatic unity to counter the disruptive spillover effects of Washington’s tariff-driven policies.

Encouragingly, Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong’s keynote speech at an international seminar offered alternative policy options and a way........

© Pakistan Observer