Sino-Pak trade to touch $15b in next five years
BEIJING: Chinese President Hu Jintao said on Wednesday that China had focussed on improving economic relations to triple trade with Pakistan from $5 billion to $15 billion in the next five years during talks with a visiting Pakistani delegation led by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. …
Aziz said that Pakistan acknowledged China as a global power and considered it a vital factor in promoting peace and security in the region and world. …
Aziz thanked China for helping Pakistan in the Gwadar port project and said that Pakistan was also planning to develop oil and gas pipelines and electricity grids which could satisfy Pakistan’s growing energy needs and become energy corridors for China and other regional countries. …
Consider this.
Pak/US trade is currently at almost $6 billion
Pak/China trade is currently at $5 billion
So I think Pakistan can afford to lose America as a trade partner if the worst happens in a couple of years! President Musharraf seems to have made sure that Pakistan doesn’t suffer the same as in the 1990s when America runs away from Afghanistan or whenever President Musharraf is not in power any longer.
Also, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz says that Pakistan is developing ‘oil’ pipelines. I’m aware of the gas pipelines but where are and where from is Pakistan developing it’s oil pipelines?