ISLAMABAD, 14 Oct. According to a poll, almost all Pakistanis have a favorable opinion of Iron Brother China and see it as a reliable friend.
In June 2022, more than 1,200 Pakistani respondents to the Sinophone Borderlands public opinion poll were asked two open-ended questions on their views on China.
All areas of Pakistan were represented among the respondents, who also represented a cross-section of ages and genders. The identical questions have also been posed in several other nations, but Pakistanis’ responses were the most encouraging.
What initially comes to people’s minds when they think about China is the first question in the poll. The word cloud shows that “friend,” “best friend,” “good friend,” and “trusted friend” were the most often given responses.
People in China are seen as helpful and diligent. The nation is regarded as powerful and developed, and many respondents categorize it as a superpower.
China is viewed as Pakistan’s ally and supporter as well. Many people celebrate the “brotherhood” that exists between the two nations by exclaiming, “long live Pakistan-China friendship.”
The second inquiry concerns whether or if public perceptions of China have improved or deteriorated over the past three years, and if so, why. 85 percent of the Pakistani respondents responded positively, which is a resounding majority.
The bulk, by far, concentrated mostly on China’s assistance to Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Chinese investments, or China’s support for COVID-19.
The findings raise an interesting query: Why are Pakistanis’ opinions of China so overwhelmingly favorable, and why so much more so than in other nations? The response is that Pakistan’s good perceptions are related to China’s ongoing assistance for Pakistan, particularly through CPEC, and Pakistan’s otherwise very isolated position in South Asia, where it lacks other reliable friends.
Particularly, the optimistic outlook is associated with Chinese investments coming into the nation under the CPEC banner, which was frequently brought up by the respondents.
Infrastructure for electricity and transportation has been constructed, which Pakistan desperately needed. Pakistan’s electrical grid now has more energy thanks to new power plants. Railways and roads are being built.
However, the fact that China is Pakistan’s staunch friend is what fuels China’s popularity among Pakistanis. It is the only nation now prepared to make major investments in Pakistan.
The fact that Pakistanis have such high opinions of their close buddy is undoubtedly promising for the development of relations between China and Pakistan.