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Showing posts with the label China Pakistan Economic Corridor

Rising China- Challenges for India

Image credits-Christophe Meneboeuf /Wikimedia It has been two months since I last wrote an article. The North Korean crisis is nearly over and India has moved away from Doklam.  But Doklam has taught us many truths, primary of them being that China as a power is here to stay. The world has moved on. But the omnipresence of China cannot be ignored.  China over the years has spread it's presence in the Indian Ocean region, with strategic investments in countries ranging from Myanmar, Bangladesh to Srilanka, Maldives and Pakistan. In these countries, in extension of it's Belt and Road Initiative, China is investing in infrastructure ranging from ports to roads and railways, all these steps mainly to recreate the ancient silk route. The Silk Route in it's modern avatar has two components, the land route and the maritime phase. The land route connects China to Europe via Central Asia and Europe, a sort of Eurasia route. Even though China will derive little or no econom

Belt and Road Initiative- Challenges and Pitfalls

OBOR ( Credits- VOA) One Belt and One Road Initiative or Belt and Road Initiative ( BRI) is a project by the Chinese government which involves the development of  a network of roads and ports transversing through the length and breadth of Asia and connecting Europe. A part of the road passes through Central Asia and reaches Europe. The flagship project under BRI is the China- Pakistan Economic corridor that connects China's restive Xinjiang province with the Pakistani port of Gwadar. BRI is the most ambitious project ever undertaken by a single country in recent years.  So what is BRI: The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road, also known as the Belt and Road Initiative (B&R) and The Belt and Road (B&R), is a development strategy proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping that focuses on connectivity and cooperation between Eurasian countries, primarily the People's Republic of China, the land-based "Silk Road Economic Belt

CPEC- The opaque view from a Pakistani perspective

Image credits- VOA ( After a break of nearly two months, I am returning to active blogging. To start with, I have decided to deal with CPEC, the most talked about project in South Asia) China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a collection of projects undertaken by China in Pakistan to connect landlocked Western China to the Arabian sea based Gwadar post in Pakistani Baluchistan.  This includes rapid development of infrastructure including roads, railways, power generation projects, industrial parks, special economic zones besides developing Gwadar port. CPEC is termed as a game changer by Pakistan. But doubts still linger in the minds of many. The international monetary fund (IMF) in it's report has warned Pakistan of long term consequences that will bring untold misery to the Pakistani economy due to their inability to repay the loan amount back to China with above normal interest rate.  There is also concern that China will virtually take over the entire Pakistan

The Plight of the Gwadar Fisherman ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Shah Meer)

Image credits- VOA Source- The Diplomat  Author- Shah Meer Perched atop rocky outcroppings on the shores of the Arabian Sea, with breathtaking views from a large promontory known locally as Koh-e-Batilis, sits the port of Gwadar, which also happens to be the epicenter of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). With this project, China plans to connect one of the most neglected of its western provinces, Xinjiang, with the port of Gwadar in Balochistan, Pakistan. It has announced an investment of $46 billion for the creation of CPEC, which includes energy, fiber optics and industry-based projects in Pakistan. China vows that the project will bring unprecedented economic development to both countries. CPEC is a very important part of China’s larger, ambitious “One Belt, One Road” plan (OBOR). OBOR is a grand strategy by which China aspires to stretch its economic reach over three continents – Asia, Europe, and Africa – while connecting them via maritime routes and ra

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor One Year On – Analysis ( Source- Eurasia Review / Author- Alvin Cheng-Hin Lim)

Gwadar Port ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Umar Gondal) Source- Eurasia Review Author- Alvin Cheng-Hin Lim It has just been over a year since Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) during his inaugural state visit to Pakistan in April 2015. What has been the progress of the construction of the megaproject since then? Zhang Baozhong, the chairman of China Overseas Ports, the company that will run the Pakistani port of Gwadar, stated in late April 2016 that Gwadar will commence full operations by the end of 2016. Gwadar is essential to CPEC as it will connect CPEC with shipping on the Arabian Sea; and being close to the Straits of Hormuz, will serve as a strategic gateway for Middle Eastern oil shipments to be transported overland to China via CPEC’s planned oil pipelines. Logistics will be transformed by CPEC, as container ships that today have to make the “the nearly 13,000 km sea voyage from Tianjin to the Persian Gulf t

Pakistan Reels With Internal Unease Regarding CPEC Implementation ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Umair Jamal)

Gwadar port ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Umargondal) Source- The Diplomat Author-  Umair Jamal In Pakistan, controversy continues to grow around the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multi-billion dollar economic agreement between the China and Pakistan that promises to build an economic trade corridor along the length of Pakistan, connecting western China to the Arabian Sea. Specifically, the corridor aims to connect Gwadar port in Balochistan to China’s Xinjiang region through a network of highways, railroads, and pipelines, spread over 3,000 kilometers. For energy-starved Pakistan, the project is likely to add more than 25,000MW of electricity capacity across the national grid through different energy-related projects. If implemented successfully, CPEC has the potential to transform Pakistan into a thriving economy. However, its successful implementation is only possible if there is internal political unity among all of Pakistan’s provinces. This r