The Structural Challenges of Transnationalizing the China-led BRI: The Case of Pakistan

This study uses a (geo-)political economic theory to explore and analyze how the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been implemented in Pakistan, mainly by the Chinese state and state-led enterprises, resulting in some socio-economic progress. It examines the implications and structural challenges of the China-led BRI in Pakistan at the domestic, geopolitical, and geo-economic levels, focusing on 2013–2023 within the broader timeframe of 2000–2023. However, the sustainable success or failure of the BRI in Pakistan depends on: (a) Pakistan’s resolution of its domestic structural crises, including political, socio-economic, and ethno-religious conflicts; and (b) favorable geopolitical developments in South Asia, where the main competitive power projections are between the United States and China.