ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses China’s role during Pakistan’s democratic transition and during the 2018 elections. Three major events garnered international attention. First, the elections in July 2018, which saw the victory of the cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, in what was dubbed as the country’s ‘dirtiest election,’ represented a critical juncture in Pakistani politics, with important implications for China-Pakistan ties too. Second, under the new political dispensation, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has entered its second phase, with an increased focus on social and agricultural projects, as opposed to the infrastructural and energy-based ones of the first phase. Third, an attack on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi has reignited talks about the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan.
