The China-Pakistan brotherhood has endured all the challenges; rather, it has gotten stronger with time, and now, in the words of Mao Ning, spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, “China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and ironclad friends. Our friendship has stood the test of time and remained rock-solid and—to use a Chinese expression— “steady as Mount Tai”.

Moreover, China-Pakistan cooperation is multifaceted, which cannot be comprehended by the traditional theories of international relations or bilateral friendship. China and Pakistan have always assisted each other in protecting their core interest like Taiwan, the South China Sea, Tibet, Kashmir, etc.

The economic cooperation between China and Pakistan has prospered since the early 1950s. The first trade transaction between New China and Pakistan was conducted in 1952. Since then, both countries have strived to strengthen cooperation by signing multiple agreements, including the Investment Protection Agreement 1989, the Energy Cooperation Framework 2006, the Free Trade Agreement 2006, etc. It was estimated that the total investment from China in Pakistan was around US$15 billion. Huawei, Haier, China Mobile, and Port Shipping Companies were leading investors, along with others.

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Nowadays, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has changed the whole dynamics and given it a new impetus to cooperation. With its vast potential CPEC presents Pakistan with a transformative opportunity and numerous options to pursue the dream of sustainable development, sparking hope for a brighter future. It also keeps upgrading the bilateral relationship for a new era, as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, the China-led flagship project for building a community with a shared future.

Since establishing the relationship, the top leadership of both countries has dedicated efforts to strengthening it. In continuation of this policy, the visit to China of Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif from June 4-8 is coming at a critical time due to multiple reasons.  

First, the hegemonic powers have unleashed an all-out campaign against China. They are busy creating a web of chaos in China's surroundings. Now the hegemonic powers are pressuring Pakistan to curtail its relationship with China, abandon CPEC, and become part of their nefarious agenda. Pakistan has categorically refused to be part of any group or activity against China. Therefore, they consider Pakistan a stumbling block to fulfilling their agenda and launched a complex campaign against Pakistan.

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Second, CPEC is being targeted by opposing forces. It is an unfortunate reality that since its inception, rather than before that, CPEC has been the prime target of anti-Pakistan and anti-China forces who have tried to sabotage the project. They have unleashed fifth-generation warfare on CPEC, targeting in a very systematic and sophisticated way.

Thus a narrative warfare has been pushed forward. They are dubbing CPEC as a debt trap, today’s East India Company, aiming for Pakistani resources, etc. With the failure of their propaganda, they have targeted Chinese nationals in Pakistan and tried to create a wedge between China and Pakistan. Such insidious moves as killing Chinese engineers by setting their vehicle to explosives in late March indicate accelerated efforts to counter the success of the CPEC.

Third, they are actively fanning conflict in the South China Sea. Unfortunately, certain regional countries are willing to become part of their nefarious agenda. Simultaneously, they have violated the one-China principle supported by the United Nations resolutions and world consensus and complicated the Taiwan question. It is an undeniable fact that Taiwan is part of China, that there is only one China in the world and the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government of China.    

Fourth, the anti-China forces are militarizing the Asia-Pacific region and engaging certain regional countries to play as proxies while forming exclusive blocs to maintain hegemonic dominance at the cost of others. Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) is a prime example of this, and is a threat to both China's and Pakistan's security and economic interests.    

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Fifth, a new world order is emerging amid all tragic conflicts. Many countries have shown resistance to Western bullying attitudes. The visits of Chinese, European and Asian leaders to each other generate options for mutual win-win cooperation, although Western media described them as an effort to divide the West and world.

Sixth, China has embarked on a journey to achieve the goal of high-quality development and adopted the new quality productive forces for full modernization. It is perceived that new quality productive forces will assist China in achieving the transition from Industry 3.0 to Industry 4.0. The Western countries are opposing the transition and have erected numerous obstacles to check the progress of China, such as the CHIP and Science Act, strategic rivalry, etc.

In a nutshell, China and Pakistan face numerous challenges, individually and jointly. This situation makes it imperative for Pakistan and China to work more closely to deter opponents' plans. It is suggested that China and Pakistan build joint security and economic development mechanisms.

China and Pakistan should develop mechanisms for cooperation on four levels: military, intelligence, police, and narrative building. The military, security, and intelligence coalition should focus on the international dimensions of threats and risks. They should jointly map the potential threats, actors of threats, and fake friends, and prepare joint operations to counter the threats.

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Moreover, both sides must develop solid platforms to develop narratives by using facts and data to counter fifth-generation warfare. This is extremely important because opponents of CPEC and China-Pakistan brotherhood are actively building fake narratives to damage CPEC and bilateral relations. For example, to promote terrorism and terrorist attacks, they use fake news and propaganda about Xinjiang’s connection with Pakistan’s provinces. Thus, both sides must work on sharing the truth with the world.

One plausible option can be the “Maritime Partnership for Community with a Shared Future” in the Asia-Pacific and South China Sea region.  Both countries can also invite other countries to join the partnership. Second, military and security agencies from both countries should build joint operational mechanisms and platforms. China should take the lead on global issues, and Pakistan should play an active role at the regional level.

In a new era of joint development, China and Pakistan can further explore the options and come up with refined and wise policies and strategies.

The author is CEO of the Asian Institute of Eco-civilization Research and Development in Pakistan. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.