South–South Cooperation in South and East Asia: An Event Study of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor

Abstract

South–South cooperation has been on the rise in recent years. One of the latest examples is the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) proposed by the Chinese and Pakistani governments in 2013. Using event study methodology, this article examines the impact of events and announcements associated with CPEC on the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Pakistan and the Shanghai Stock Exchange in China. The first key finding of this article is that the initial announcement associated with CPEC had stronger and positive short-term impact on the Pakistan Stock Exchange in comparison with the impact of subsequent CPEC events on the stock market. The second key finding is that the short-term impact of the CPEC initial announcement was stronger on the Pakistan Stock Exchange than on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, possibly due to the substantial difference in the size of the two economies. The empirical results of this article have important implications for investors, corporations and regulators to the Global South.