Pakistanis overwhelmingly love China: Survey Report

Gwadar Pro

Islamabad: Almost all the Pakistanis have a very positive view about Iron Brother China and they consider China as their trusted friend, a survey revealed.

As part of the Sinophone Borderlands public opinion survey in Pakistan in June 2022, over 1,200 Pakistani respondents were asked two open-ended questions about their perception of China, said the results announced here.

Respondents were drawn from all regions of Pakistan and included a representative sample of age groups and genders. The same questions have also been asked in many other countries but Pakistanis gave the most positive answers.

The first survey question asked what first came to people’s minds when thinking of China. The most common answers, as the word cloud reveals, were “friend,” “best friend,” “good friend,” and “trusted friend.”

Chinese people were perceived as friendly and hardworking. The country itself was seen as being strong, and developed, with many respondents labeling it a superpower.

Also, China was seen as helpful and supportive of Pakistan. The connection between the two countries was described as a “brotherhood” and many people celebrated it by saying “long live Pakistan-China friendship.”

The second question asked whether people’s general view of China got better or worse during the previous three years and why. An overwhelming majority of the Pakistani respondents (85 percent) gave a positive answer.

A meager 9 percent indicated a worsening of their perception, and 6 percent stayed neutral. Those who indicated seeing China in a worse light than before identified reasons like COVID-19. An overwhelming majority focused mostly on China’s support to Pakistan in the form of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Chinese investment, or even China’s COVID-19 support.

The results prompt an important question: Why are the attitudes of Pakistanis so overwhelmingly positive toward China, and why so much more so than in other countries? The answer is that their positive attitudes are linked to China’s long-term support for Pakistan, especially through CPEC, and Pakistan’s otherwise rather isolated position in South Asia, where it lacks other firm allies.

In particular, the positive attitude correlates with Chinese investments flowing into the country under the label of CPEC, which was frequently mentioned by the respondents.

Although the CPEC investment program has progressed slowly than expected, especially with regard to the development of Gwadar port in Balochistan province, there have been notable successes.

Transport and energy infrastructure, so badly needed in Pakistan, have been built. New power plants have added energy to Pakistan’s power grid. Roads and railways are being constructed.

The ML-1 connection linking Karachi with Peshawar is the most significant project under construction by Chinese companies. ML-1 is employing an estimated 24,000 workers and will ultimately cost around US $ 6.8 billion.

Nevertheless, what drives China’s popularity among the citizens of Pakistan is that China is really Pakistan’s stalwart ally. It is the only country that is currently willing to invest massively in Pakistan.

It is certainly encouraging for the growth of China-Pakistan relations that people in Pakistan are so positive about their close friend.