Prospects for Pakistan-China-Iran Trilateral Cooperation: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Pakistan, China and Iran are situated in the same region brimming with natural resources, blessed with geographic significance and endowed with massive economic potential. The prospects of trilateral cooperation are bright as apart from being geographically contiguous to one another, their strategic and economic interests also overlap. Economic initiatives of regional connectivity, being channelised mainly by China in this part of the world, are in total collaboration with Pakistan and Iran’s respective economic and foreign policies in the region. The challenges to these initiatives are many as the security situation in this region has always remained harrowing. Terrorism, religious extremism, sectarian clashes and interference of extra-regional actors are only a few challenges that stand in the way of this nexus. The internal challenges of political instability and socio-economic factors can also affect this nexus adversely. However, if the leadership, governments’ policies and public opinion in these three countries remain steadfast in support of this trilateral cooperation, there is no doubt in the future, the success of this nexus, which would change the economic and regional architecture of Asia forever.