World’s tallest bridge has a giant waterfall

By Absara Kashaf  The international political landscape is undergoing a noticeable transformation. For many years, the United States was widely regarded as the world’s most influential political, economic and military power. However, recent global opinion surveys indicate that public perceptions are changing. Countries around the world are increasingly evaluating global powers not only by their military strength but also by their economic cooperation, development assistance, investment and diplomatic engagement. The Latest Pew Research Center Global Attitudes Survey (july 2026) provides important evidence of this shift. Based on interviews with 42,151 adults across 36 countries, the survey reveals that China now enjoys a more favorable public image than the United States in a majority of the countries included in the study. The findings highlights China’s growing international influence, particularly among developing and middle-income nations. One of the survey’s most significant findings is that China is viewed more favorably than the United States in 30 of the 36 countries surveyed. This represents a remarkable change in global public opinion. While the United States continues to enjoy strong support in few countries, particularly among some of its long-standing allies, China has gained considerable public approval across Asia, Latin America, and parts of Europe. This shift suggests that many people now associate China with economic opportunity, infrastructure development, and long-term cooperation rather than viewing it solely as an emerging global competitor. China’s growing popularity is closely linked to its expanding economic partnerships around the world. Over the past two decades, China has invested billions in infrastructure projects, transportation networks, energy development, industrial zones, digital connectivity and trade agreements. Through initiatives such as Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has financed highways, railways, ports, power plants, and industrial zones in numerous developing countries. These projects have contributes to economic growth, employment opportunities and improved connectivity in many regions. As a result, public opinion in several countries increasingly reflects appreciation for China’s contribution to national development. The survey further shows that 69 percent of respondents in 17 middle-income countries consider China to be somewhat or very reliable international partner. This finding is particularly important because middle-income countries often seek foreign investment, technology and infrastructure financing to support their development goals. Many respondents appear to believe that China provides practical economic cooperation without imposing extensive political conditions. Whether this perception fully reflects reality remains a subject of academic debate, but it undoubtedly contributes to China’s improving international image. Another major finding concerns confidence in Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to the survey, global confidence in Xi Jinping has improved compared to previous years. Across many countries,  larger number of respondents believe that President Xi will make responsible decisions regarding international affairs. Although confidence levels differ from one country to another, the overall trend indicates that China’s leadership is gaining broader international acceptance. Leadership perceptions often influence how countries are viewed internationally, making this finding particularly significant for understanding China’s growing diplomatic influence. Among all the countries surveyed, Pakistan recorded one of the strongest levels of support for China. According to the survey, 90 percent of Pakistanis expressed a favorable opinion of China, while 83 percent reported confidence in President Xi Jinping to do the right things regarding world affairs. These are among the highest approval ratings recorded anywhere in the survey. In contrast, only 15 percent of Pakistanis expressed a favorable opinion of the United States, while confidence in former U.S President Donald Trump stood at just 12 percent. These figures demonstrate the exceptionally positive image that China currently enjoys among the Pakistani public. Several factors help explain Pakistan’s strong support for China. The two countries have maintained close diplomatic and strategic relations for decades, often referring to their friendship as an “all-weather strategic partnership”. In recent years, this relationship has expanded significantly through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), one of the flagship projects under the Belt and Road Initiative. CPEC includes investments in roads, highways, ports, power generations, industrial zones, and communication infrastructure. Many Pakistanis associate these projects with improved economic opportunities, enhanced connectivity, and future development. Consequently, China’s image among Pakistani Public has become increasingly positive Beyond Pakistan, the survey also suggests that China is increasingly perceived as a contributor to global peace and stability. One notable example is South Africa, where the proportion of respondents who believe China contributes positively to global peace increased from 47 percent in 2023 to 64 percent in 2026. Similar improvements were observed in several other developing countries. China’s active participation in diplomatic negotiations, peacemaking missions, humanitarian assistance, and international development initiatives appears to have strengthened its reputation among many respondents. The survey also explores whether people believe China considers the interest of developing countries when making international policy decisions. Among respondents in the 17 middle-income countries, 57 percent stated that China takes the interests of countries like their own into account. This finding reflects an important aspect of China’s international strategy. Many developing countries view China as a partner that understands their development challenges and provides economic cooperation through investment, trade, infrastructure financing, and technology transfer. Whether this perception continues in the future will depend on China’s policies and long-tern outcomes of its international projects Despite China’s growing popularity, the survey also demonstrates the global opinion remains diverse. Several countries continue to express stronger support for the United States than for the China. These include Japan, India, Philippines, Israel, Poland, and South Korea. Historical alliances, security partnerships, regional geopolitical concerns, and territorial disputes continue to influence public opinions across countries. The findings also illustrated the growing importance if soft power illustrates the growing importance of soft power in international relations. Soft power refers to a country’s ability to influence others through attraction, cooperation, culture, diplomacy and economic engagement rather than military force. China’s engagement in infrastructure, trade, education techonolgy in many developing countries have strengthened its soft power in many developing countries. Public opinion surveys such as Pew’s demonstrate that these efforts are increasingly shaping how ordinary citizens perceive China’s global role. The finding offer important insights

By Prof. Engr. Dr. Khuram Pervez Amber The persistent weaker linkage between industries and universities in Pakistan requires strategic interventions from all stakeholders. Pakistan cannot expect systemic industrial growth while its higher education institutions and industrial sectors operate in silos. Number of universities in Pakistan has dramatically increased over the past two decades. At current, there are nearly 280 universities in Pakistan which are producing thousands of graduates every year. But the concerns of industries remain valid that the graduates lack the necessary technical knowledge and skills which are required in the industries. These concerns of industries are particularly reported in disciplines such as engineering, computer science and the applied sciences, where employers frequently report a mismatch between academic preparation and industrial requirements. Although there are some valuable initiatives by the HEC, PEC, and NTC which include mandatory industrial internships of six to eight weeks for the engineering and technology students, the impact of such initiatives is limited due to multiple factors. Another initiative of HEC to strengthen university academia linkage is the establishment of the Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercialization (ORICs) in universities. However, the effectiveness of this initiative has not been successful at the desired level as in many universities, ORICs operate with limited staff and resources, while directors of ORICs are usually on additional charges. Expecting a small office alone to build industrial linkages for an entire university is unrealistic. Currently, out of nearly 260 universities, only 95 universities have established ORICs. In the recent ORIC ranking of HEC, only seven of 95 universities achieved the top category, i.e. “W” category. One of the major unexplored reasons behind this fragile linkage between industry and academia is the limited or no industrial exposure of university teachers. Most university teachers move directly from their bachelor’s degrees into master’s and PhD programs. Through this route, such individuals may become academically qualified teachers, but this route does not make them professionals having knowledge of industrial practices, industrial standards, and industry-oriented innovations. In many cases, a teacher teaches an industrial system which he/she has never experienced. This approach may clear theoretical concepts of students, but such students will certainly struggle when they would face real- life industrial problems after their induction in industry. So why do our university teachers require industrial exposure in their field of research? The answer is simple. A teacher with industrial exposure brings his industrial experience into the classrooms, laboratories, projects, and discussions on daily basis. Industrial experience of such teachers would not only improve the technical understanding of students about various industrial systems but also enhance students’ problem-solving skills. It would further help students to understand industrial expectations. So how could universities help their faculty members to get industrial experience? This could be achieved through implementation of structured industrial placement/professional development programs under ORICs for university teachers particularly working in engineering, technology and applied sciences faculties. Under this program, university teachers can spend six months to twelve months in an industry related to their field of interest/research on a turn-by-turn basis. During this period, such faculty members will keep receiving their monthly salaries as usual. So, what will be the major benefits of this model? There will be significant improvement in the pedagogical skills of faculty members as they will be teaching with practical examples, industrial case studies and real-world problem-solving approaches. During their placement in the industry, faculty members would make connections with the industrial experts/managers/engineers which would help them in future to supervise industry-relevant research, secure collaborative projects and contribute to technology transfer. They would identify operational challenges requiring research-based solutions. Upon returning to universities, they can transform these challenges into student projects, postgraduate research topics and consultancy opportunities. This would help create a healthier research culture focused on solving local industrial problems. University graduates will have problem solving skills that are required by industry. Over time, this model would help bridge the trust deficit that exists between academia and industry. Admittedly, implementing such a policy would not be easy. Challenges such as shortage of faculty, and increased teaching workloads are genuine challenges. There are also cultural barriers within academia, where industrial experience is often valued less than traditional academic achievements. However, these barriers are manageable. HEC and professional bodies such as PEC, and universities can jointly develop and implement structured industrial placement programs for faculty members. The industrial experience can be recognized within promotion criteria of faculty members, accreditation frameworks and quality assurance standards. In the nutshell, to produce industry ready graduates, the industrial exposure of university faculty members is indispensable. Their industrial experience will result in a stronger academia-industry linkage which is essential for economic growth, innovation and technological progress. Until universities and industries begin working together more meaningfully, Pakistan will continue producing degrees faster than opportunities. Prof. Engr. Dr. Khuram Pervez Amber (CEng, MEI, PE, FHEA) The writer is serving as Director QEC at Mirpur University of Science and Technology, AJ&K.

By Hamza Aman As people of an unprecedented era, we often pride ourselves on the immense progress that has been furthered in various frontiers; be it state-of-the-art technology, sophistication in medicine, ground-breaking research in natural sciences or advancement in ideals like democracy, free speech and human rights. Our age has truly witnessed the remarkable realisation of human potential, enabling us to navigate and progress in uncharted terrains. But as the adage goes, ‘there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch’. This development came at an exorbitant cost. Modernity swiftly and discreetly robbed us of the most beautiful and human of experiences—love. A look into the annals of history suggests that love, especially in its romantic form, has never just remained an emotion. It has been a powerful unifying force that breathed meaning into life by offering to look beyond primitive human tendencies. The transcendence of social mores, as embodied in various celebrated stories, laid down a powerful moral framework of rising above oneself and praised classical themes of romanticism like selflessness, chivalry, and individual uniqueness. In philosophy, this notion of seeing people as ends in themselves was echoed by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Rejecting instrumentalism, he argued every human was possessed of inherent worth, distinct value, and dignity. And they must be treated as such. However, these notions began to change in postmodern society—drastically. A plethora of factors contributed to it. Postmodern society was marked by the withering of traditional anchors like family, marriage, and community, while rapid change and the steep rise of consumer culture completely changed how we viewed love and romance . Sociologist Zygmunt Bauman employs the term ‘liquid love’ to describe this change. He argued that modern relationships had become synonymous with shopping, wherein people saw their partners as products, browsing options, comparing, and checking them out. And because that kind of relationship is based on a consumerist approach, when the initial novelty fades away, it is easy to just exit. Furthermore, in an ever-changing world, individuals fear commitment and deliberately maintain fragile bonds that can be easily discarded when inconvenient. This is exacerbated by the extreme uncertainty that characterises the culture. As everything remains in constant flux and people go through changes in job, identity or preferences, bonds remain light and flexible. The result is a hindrance in building long-term relations whose bedrock is trust, commitment, and love, as everyone becomes disposable and replaceable. Moreover, people have formed a distorted perception of love, viewing it as something that magically happens and never fades away. This is not true and only leads to disenchantment in the long term. As the psychoanalyst Erich Fromm argues, love is an art that demands patience, discipline, and effort to cultivate. It needs constant nourishment. And true love can only flourish when it springs from abundance where you zoom in on ‘giving’ rather than ‘taking’. This kind of love not only enriches but also helps in building sound and enduring connections based on care, respect, and responsibility. Capitalist culture, however, perpetuates this need of being lovable rather than being on the giving side of the spectrum. It encourages us to market and commodify ourselves, to look good, possess status and wealth and/or cultivate certain personality traits. Thus, the culture stands in stark contrast to what is genuinely needed in fostering meaningful relationships. People have for centuries grasped the power and potential of this elusive emotion that we call love; but it went through radical change in the past few centuries. If we desire to truly develop and realise it, we need to abandon the consumerist tendencies that have become entrenched in our society. We need to give up seeing individuals as commodities or products and rather view them in a different light—as unique and irreplaceable beings with inherent worth that deserve love. Amidst chaos and change, what we need is stillness that is built on values like commitment, trust and responsibility. And finally, we, as a people, should celebrate love as a meaningful art that requires skills, refined through patience. Only then can we realise its actual potential, and its tremendous power, where it ultimately transforms into a symbol of rebellion in the face of alienation and meaninglessness.   Bio: Hamza Aman is a Political Science student at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) with a keen interest in philosophy.