ANU College of Law Senior Lecturer Moeen Cheema has been granted an Australia Awards Fellowship to analyse the rule of law dimensions of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced the awards earlier this month.
The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the first and most significant stage of China’s ambitious ‘One Belt One Road’ program that is set to re-draw the political and economic geography of South and Central Asia. As this project enters its implementation phase, its far-reaching impacts on Pakistan’s development, political economy and internal security, as well as on regional and foreign policy dynamics are beginning to emerge.
Mr Cheema said the fellowship aimed to bring together Pakistani scholars working on diverse aspects of CPEC and its wider ramifications for the region.
“The fellowship will provide a platform to systematically engage with CPEC-related issues and thereby develop a sustainable network of individuals and organizations that serve as a nodal point for continuing research and policy work,” he said.
The project will be delivered in phases, with the fellows visiting the ANU College of Law from November 2017 to March 2018. In the second phase of the project, research activities including workshops and seminars will be held in Pakistan from April to July 2018.
The fellows’ visits to the ANU will be hosted in collaboration with the Australian Centre on China in the World.
Last November, Mr Cheema received an AAF grant to assist with reform of the criminal justice system in Pakistan.
