Just for Kicks: Football as a Potential Harmoniser in the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor

Abstract When the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor began in 2015, many Pakistanis remain concerned about a possible Chinese overreach in the country’s economic and political spheres. In this paper, I suggest that China can placate these critics by utilizing soft power through football. Under Xi Jinping, China has encouraged and supported significant investments in the sport at home and abroad, especially in Europe. While Pakistan is a minnow in world football, the sport is extremely popular among many working-class groups in different regions of the country like Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These regions, despite their contentious socio-political environments, are crucial for the success of CPEC’s myriad development projects. Using publicly available information, I explore recent Chinese movements in world football, building a theoretical case for why involvement in Pakistani football can bring benefits of goodwill towards harmonizing CPEC’s acceptance, diversifying Sino-Pak ties, building soft image for China through sports in Pakistani society, and facilitating service-oriented local empowerment through the Beautiful Game.