Pakistani Expert: The World Will Benefit From China And The US Building Bridges
Shakeel Ahmad Ramay
Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to the United States from Sept. 23 to 25. Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance to China-U.S. relations. The Sichuan International Communication Center has invited Shakeel Ahmad Ramay, Chief Executive Officer of the Asia Institute for Ecological Civilization Research and Development, to share his views. From the perspective of Pakistan, he analyzes China-U.S. cooperation and its implications for Pakistan, the Middle East, and global economic development and peace, offering his observations and reflections. The full text is as follows:
The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade organizes an exchange meeting between Chinese entrepreneurs and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations in 2026.（Credit: Xinhua）
The meeting between the Chinese and U.S. presidents has drawn widespread international attention. At a time when the global economy is facing multiple challenges, the world expects a positive breakthrough. But how can such a breakthrough be achieved under these circumstances? President Xi Jinping’s philosophy of dialogue rather than confrontation, partnership rather than alliance, and win-win rather than zero-sum can lead to a breakthrough. Dialogue and win-win cooperation will help resolve bilateral issues, address the US’s domestic problems (debt, deficit, jobs, etc.). It will also pave the way for global economic recovery, sustainable development, and peace. How?
First, China’s relatively high savings rate provides it with strong financial resources, and some of these funds may be invested in global markets.
Second, China has invested heavily and offers lucrative incentives to boost domestic consumption and open new areas for investment, such as zeromagnetic medical devices, smart testing and inspection instruments, intelligent energy management systems, deep-sea robots, specialized marine equipment, etc. From my point of view, it will create enormous opportunities for global economies and companies, including for the USA. The USA can benefit immensely if it chooses to cooperate.
The author attends the Conference Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
Cooperation between China and the USA will also have spillover effects on regional markets and countries in many ways. They can trade freely and build economic linkages with China and the USA. This will help BRI member countries expedite implementation of BRI-related projects. I believe it will help them to tackle their economic, development, technological, and social problems.
For us, both China and the U.S. are important economic and diplomatic partners. Pakistan is facing many challenges, and if China and the U.S. can strengthen cooperation and reduce confrontation, it will create more space for Pakistan to further develop its economic and trade ties with both countries, including advancing cooperation projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). A more stable China-U.S. relationship would not only serve the interests of both countries, but also benefit more countries, including Pakistan.
At the financial level, I think a more stable external environment could facilitate Pakistan’s engagement with international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and create more favorable conditions for economic recovery and development. At the regional level, greater cooperation among major powers could also contribute to a more stable environment for addressing security concerns and promoting economic connectivity.
Therefore, Pakistani leadership, experts, and the media are closely following the Xi-Trump Summit, hoping China and the USA will be able to resolve, or at least manage, their differences. There was a consensus that the reduction in tensions between China and the United States could help ease some of the external pressures facing Pakistan. This could improve Pakistan’s economic and strategic environment and create greater space for the country to address security challenges.
Moreover, Pakistan experts believe the leaders of China and the United States to discuss the Middle East crisis, including the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict. The Middle East crisis is impacting the whole world, and Pakistan is no exception. Thus, we hope both leaders will find a formula for de-escalation in the region and a peace formula for the Middle East.
The author visits Yan’an Revolutionary Memorial Hall in Yan’an, Shaanxi Province.
Overall, I believe that confrontation, trade wars, sanctions, and hegemonic aspiration or containment of China are unsustainable and unwise policies that serve no one’s interests. These policies will have negative implications, and the USA will be among the worst-impacted countries. Early signs of negative impacts of trade wars, sanctions, and conflicts on the American economy and society are already evident. There are no signs of revival of industrial and manufacturing sectors. The USA’s poor economic performance will negatively affect the global economy. To reverse the trend, cooperation between China and the US is needed at this time.
In this context, I believe that not only the people of Pakistan, but people around the world, expects that both leaders should work together to build bridges, not walls. Bridges bring enduring peace, cooperative coexistence, sustainable development, and prosperity, while walls bring conflict and misery to humanity. Bridges are also needed because the world already faces multifaceted challenges such as conflicts, wars, high poverty, food insecurity, and energy insecurity. Therefore, building bridges is a shared aspiration of the global community.
Lastly, President Trump and the American ruling elite need to comprehend that the USA was at the center of the global economy, trade, investment, and globalization because of its openness, cooperation, sharing, and partnerships, not closed doors, protectionism, confrontations, or isolation. Thus, I believe a shift toward broader cooperation is the only way to create more opportunities for mutually beneficial outcomes for all parties.
Shakeel Ahmad Ramay
CEO of the Asian Institute of Eco-civilization Research and Development.
He has written three books and many papers on China and is a columnist with leading newspapers of Pakistan and China. He regularly appears on Chinese and Pakistani media, including CCTV, Xinhua News, China Daily, etc.
