Abdullah Tanveer
China Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC) is very vital and Jiont venture of Pakistan and china. China Pakistan economic corridor has the potential of making Pakistan one of the most strategically important countries in the region. China will also benefit from this economic corridor, which will greatly reduce china’s trade route from 12000km via sea, to 2000km via land i.e. from Kashgar to Gawadar. C-P-E-C is a revolution in the field of economics. under c-p-e-c, china woiuld invest $46 billions in Pakistan for the development of infrastructure and energy. c-p-e-c is a futuristic econimic dimension of Pakistan. China and Pakistan have a very strong friendship, and this chinese initiative will further Strengthen that relationship, by making china a Stakeholder in Pakistan’s future . this will ease some of Pakistan’s security concerns in regards to both its Neghbiours in the east and west. Pakistan will become most strategically important country in the region because it will improve trade and Economic connectivity between Asia, the Middle East and Europe. the energy projects announced, as part of the c-p-e-c agreement will end Pakistan energy crisis once and for all. Though china is the new emerging power in world yet India and other foreign actors have left no stone unturned to detract Pakistan from joining to this new venture of china. It is obvious thing India does not want to see strong Sino-power in Asia. Therefore, it is using its utmost efforts to restrain the project because the success of this venture will undermine the power of India and Japan as well.Due to this reason importance of CPEC is beyond the imagination, Gwadar to Kashgar route will not only decrease the distance between china and Middle East but will also provide safe and secure way of oil to china. As Gwadar is locating at the fore front of Strait of Hormuz which is the passage way of $40 trillion trade in a year, moreover it will decrease the shipping cost of china to Middle East and African countries to great extent. For that reason, Chinese government is investing $46 billion in this project. Basically CPEC is the name of multiple roads of one corridor: in Pakistan there are three major alignments having multiple roads are the part of this project, western alignment, eastern and central alignment all of these three alignments will be connected through highways and motor ways. However, western alignment is more important rather than others because it will open the door of prosperity and development in Balochistan and KPK, because Chinese investors will establish their manufacturing units on this route, which will increase the opportunity of employment in these remote areas.This is the reason that why foes of Pakistan and china are conspiring against the project; ongoing deficit of the trust about CPEC in Pakistan is also the result of these conspiracies. All over the world keen eyes are on this project, and for that China wants to complete this project as fast as possible.The major reality is that china is going to invest in Pakistan’s history’s ever biggest FDI in Pakistan, the country which is facing economic uncertainty since 1970’s. Therefore Fabian tactics are required to carry on the project and to counter with the Machiavellian strategy of competitors. Therefore it is highly imperative for the sake of country’s development and for the sake of nation’s prosperity. Geostrategic& geopolitical location of CPEC Khunjerab pass, a border between China and Pakistan – referred to as the world’s highest paved border crossing, in the Karakorum Mountains. The Pakistan-China Economic Corridor will move from KHUNJERAB PASS into Pakistan in the mountains down Karakorum Highway. At an altitude of more than 15,000feet, outnumber cargo trucks will be crossing over Pakistan’s border with China. The initial outlines of this corridor are already visible, where the highway snakes past mountains, glaciers, and rocky valleys. From central Pakistan, more roads will be built to provide access to Gwadar Port in Balochistan.Strategic Location Pakistan benefits from its strategic location and China is taking advantage of that. Around 80% of China’s trade and energy imports travel through the pirate-swarmed Strait of Malacca and Indian Ocean, both patrolled by the Indian Navy. The CPEC would not only be the alternative to Strait of Malacca but also provide China with an entry point to the Persian Gulf. Strategically some countries are worried that the China is broadening its geopolitical influence and possibly its military presence in the region. For example, some Indian intellectuals suspect the Gwadar port will serve as a Chinese Naval facility, and it only comes at a cost of about $46 billion. Military relations between Pak – China are extremely strong, and are primarily based on geopolitical alliance, aimed at countering Indian influence in the region. China and Pakistan have found common ground in terms of maritime interest in the region.
Gwadar port can be used for joint naval patrols in the Indian Ocean, further increasing the naval outreach of China and Pakistan in the region. Gwadar port will increase the countries’ naval movements and further expand defense cooperation, especially in the naval field.CPEC Geopolitical Challenges
There is a bigger challenge for Pakistan that may eventually lead to a greater difficulty, for example, how India and other countries are going to act in the region in future? In this context, one should not forget that earlier construction gas pipeline from Iran to energy-starved India through Pakistan had been blocked.
On the other hand, Iran has already completed the gas pipeline from its Pars gas field up to the Pakistani border and the construction from the Iranian border to Gwadar has already started. Meanwhile after signing a civilian nuclear deal, India pulled out to show a renewed interest in trans-Pakistan Iranian gas via sea.
The idea of building mega projects through Balochistan is not new. In the 90’s an earlier American project, in which the oil and gas would have been transported by a pipeline from the oil-rich Central Asian Republics (CARs), through Afghanistan and Pakistani Balochistan was dropped due to the security issues. It shows the pivotal role of Balochistan in the overall economy and the national interest of Pakistan as times have changed, and Pakistan is looking to improve a lot of its largest province.
Whereas, there are undeniable facts that, there are some other geopolitical considerations with multiple competing political interests relating to CPEC. About a 120 km west of Gwadar, the Iranian port of Chabahar was built by Pakistan’s rival India to bypass Pakistan to reach its interests in Afghanistan in the early nineties. Despite International pressure, India conducts a trade of about 15 billion dollars with Iran and imports about 15% of its oil needs from Iran as India is the world’s fourth largest consumer of petroleum. Furthermore, India is building the railway links from Chabahar to connect to the Iranian Railway to tap the mineral-rich Afghanistan and to reach the Central Asian markets.
While these regional dynamics seem to have threatened Indians as if the Chinese were encircling them. Pakistan also feels surrounded by India, while Indians are extending the Iranian railway into the mineral-rich Afghanistan. India also hopes to increase their commercial and strategic interests in the former Soviet Central Asian Republics (CARs) through Afghanistan.
While troublesome for a few, many countries are observing the CPEC with interest. Even Russia, which has had a cooled relationship with Pakistan, is now warming up and has shown interest into the economic corridor, besides building Karachi to Lahore gas pipeline.
India assumes China is increasing its presence in the Indian Ocean with its ‘String of Pearls’ strategy to which it has recently been added the island nation of Seychelles and now Gwadar and CPEC in Pakistan.
Indian viewed Gwadar as a large-scale naval mobilization program by China and in a worst-case situation, Beijing could use these Naval bases to threaten India’s security, risk global sea lanes and challenge the region for regional naval superiority.
India is also worried about China’s growing investment in Pakistan, predominantly to fund a new batch of nuclear reactors to help Pakistan’s plans to add four new nuclear plants by 2020, with four more reactors in the pipeline (adding up to a total power capacity of 7,930 MW by 2030).
Since long India is also worried as it has its eyes on energy assets in Central Asia and Afghanistan to fulfil its energy thrust, but China has eaten up many of these in recent years.
The CPEC seen as a vital bridge in the “all-weather†China-Pakistan relationship. It is opening up new doors of economic opportunities in the region. This megaproject will have significant implications that can alter the dynamics of global politics. The CPEC will help strengthen Pakistan’s economy and enhance its position in the region. For China, CPEC will open new routes to the oil-rich Middle East via the Arabian Sea. It will support regional ties and enable the region to stand on its own with minimal reliance on the Western worldChina and Pakistan agreed to form a 1+4 integral structure with the CPEC at the center (1) and the Gwadar Port (a), transport infrastructure (b), energy (c) and industrial (c) cooperation being the four critical areas to achieve a win-win result and joint development.
There are many challenges for Pakistan that may eventually lead to greator difficulties, for example, how the neighbours especially India is going to react. Pakistan should be determined to take this project to its finalization and also pursue a peace-making course in the region and even offer willing and honest neighbours to participate in the project. An economically stable Pakistan perhaps will contribute to the betterment of nation and region both. Western absolute fixation on Iran is counterproductive, and a prosperous Pakistan and, therefore, CPEC is in everyone’s interest.
