Pakistan must ensure that 27 UN conventions are implemented in the targeted areas to maintain GSP Plus…reports Asian Lite News
In order to save its status of GSP Plus, Pakistan is dangling between the conditions put forth by the European Union (EU) as well as its domestic exports lobby, Financial Post reported.
Pakistan must ensure that 27 UN conventions are implemented in the targeted areas to maintain GSP Plus. However, the Pakistani government and officials are concerned about the EU’s plans to increase the number of treaties covered by the programme.
The new conventions will cover topics like transnational organised crime, the rights of people with disabilities, the involvement of minors in armed conflict, and labour inspection, according to the Financial Post.
The EU has considerable expectations related to issues such as NGOs’ policies, child labour, the abuse of blasphemy laws, and climate change. While the anti-torture bill has finally been passed after much delay, other crucial accounts are still in various states of inaction.
Analysts anticipate Islamabad to revert to its tried-and-true strategy in light of Pakistan’s continuous struggles to meet its essential needs. Furthermore, Islamabad is also frantically trying to show some seriousness and progress in the problem as the deadline of 2023 approaches.
In June 2022, an EU monitoring mission came to the nation to assess the situation. Later, the European Commission’s Directorate General presented a list of priorities and requested details on the Pakistani government’s response, the Financial Post reported
Most influence by China
A new study that measures Beijing’s expanding global sway has revealed that Pakistan is the country in the world which is most influenced by China, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
The China Index, a database relaunched on December 8 by DoubleThink Labs, a Taiwan-based research organization has ranked Pakistan atop a list of 82 other nations around the world and said that its links and dependency on China with regard to foreign and domestic policy, technology, and the economy make it particularly susceptible to Chinese influence. Following Pakistan, Cambodia and Singapore are listed at the second spot while Thailand at third position, as per the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) report. The Philippines is listed at the seventh spot while Malaysia lies in the 10th position. South Africa and Peru are tied at the fifth spot on the index.
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are at the eighth and ninth spots on the index. These two countries share a border with China’s Xinjiang Province and are the Central Asian countries most influenced by Beijing.
Meanwhile, Germany is the highest-ranked European country at 19th spot while the United States leads North America in the 21st position, as per the news report. While compiling the China index, the research team focused on nine categories to monitor influence around the world, which includes higher education, domestic politics, economic ties, foreign policy, military cooperation, media, technology and cultural links. (ANI)