Anatomy of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Project

SOURCE:
http://www.indiandefencereview.com/news/anatomy-of-china-pakistan-economic-corridor-project/





Geopolitics

           Anatomy of China-Pakistan

             Economic Corridor Project

                                  By 

                 Radhakrishna Rao

 16 Apr , 2016

It comes as a little surprise that 

Pakistani army chief Raheel Sahrif 

has blamed India for what he 

describes as the efforts being 

made by its long time regional 

rival to undermine the high profile 

US$46-billion China Pakistan 

Economic Corridor Project 

(CEPC). 



…Baloch separatists and Baloch ethnic 

groups have expressed themselves against 

CPEC as well as Chinese involvement in 

various projects in the province. 




According to Sharif, this project highlighting 

the economic cooperation between the China 

and Pakistan, described as “all weather 

friends” has raised eye brows in the region.

 As envisaged now, the CEPC project that 

seeks to link Pakistan’s southern port city of

 Gwadar in the ethnically turbulent 

Balochistan province with Kashgar, the

 headquarters of China’s restive north western

 province of Xinjiang inhabited by the Uighur

 ethnic minority group has been considered a

 win-win development for both  the countries

. Going specific, Sharif said, “In this context, I 

must highlight that India our immediate 

neighbour, has openly challenged this

 development initiative”. A well planned 

network of all weather roads, railway lines and

 pipelines forming part of CPEC is expected to

 spur growth in the geographical stretches—in

 both Pakistan and China– that are considered

 far from well developed. 



According to reports in the Pakistani media,

 the first phase of CPEC, made up of a series 

of power plants including coal based ones,

 will be completed by the end of next year. 

Incidentally, Pakistan and China had inked an 

agreement in April 2015 to initiate work on

 CPEC with a financial commitment of US$46-

billion which works out to 20% of Pakistan’s 

annual GDP (Gross Domestic Product). The 

two leading ethnic groups of Pakistan, 

Balochs and Pashtuns, have opposed the 

CPEC saying that it would, in the end, benefit

 only politically influential Punjabis. But 

Pakistani Government sources in Islamabad

 stress the point that CPEC would benefit the

 entire country by acting as a catalyst for the

 expansion of the economy and business in a 

big way. 

In view of the threat that Baloch separatists 

fighting for an independent Baloch homeland 

and Islamic militant groups bent upon creating

 anarchic conditions could pose to CPEC 

projects running through Balochistan,

 Pakistan has made extraordinary security

 arrangements in and around Gwadar deep

 sea port under the administrative and 

managerial control of China. In fact, Baloch

 separatists and Baloch ethnic groups have

 expressed themselves against CPEC as well

 as Chinese involvement in various projects in 

the province. 

The biggest geopolitical challenge for 

Pakistan is how to comply with the Chinese 

request for giving constitutional recognition to

 the illegally held Gilgit Baltistan region 

without inviting opposition from Kashmiri

 separatist leaders on both the sides of divide. 

Media reports reveal that “a heavy police 

force presence, guarded convoys, new check

 posts and troop reinforcements” have turned 

parts of Gwadar into a veritable fortress. In 

fact, the political leadership, in both China 

and Pakistan, have been concerned over the

 safety of heavy investments being made to 

make CPEC a reality. A top ranking police 

official in Gwadar pointed out that“Soon we 

will start hiring 700-800 police to be a part of a 

separate security unit dedicated to Chinese 

security, and ..at a later stage a new security

 division would be formed.” Indeed, in the 

aftermath of Islamic radicals launching a

 daring attack on Mehran naval air base on the 

outskirts of Karachi in May 2011, Pakistan is 

not willing to leave anything to chance in so 

far as the security of Gwadar and CPEC 

projects are concerned. In fact, there are 

instances of ethnic Baloch separatists having

 kidnapped Chinese nationals in the province.




 In the ultimate analysis, CPEC, at its take off

 point at Gwadar in Pakistan and final 

destination in Kashgar could face serious

 security problems. In particular, China will 

have to face the challenge of violent activities

 of Muslim Uighur separatists in Xinjiang. The 

light skinned Uighur ethnic minority of China

 which is culturally close to some of the 

communities in Central Asia is fighting for an

 independent homeland. There is now way 

that the CPEC will have a safe and smooth 

progress  through other parts of its run. 




The biggest geopolitical challenge for 

Pakistan is how to comply with the Chinese

 request for giving constitutional recognition

 to the illegally held Gilgit Baltistan region

 without inviting opposition from Kashmiri 

separatist leaders on both the sides of divide.

 China had made it very clear and vocal that it

 is essential for Pakistan to provide legal 

cover to the Chinese investment on CPEC 

running through Gilgit Baltistan where 

undercurrent of discontent against Pakistani

 occupation continues to simmer. 

Accordingly, Pakistanis mulling the possibility 

of turning Gilgit Baltistan region into the 

constitutionally recognised fifth province of

 the country. But this step will have serious 

repercussions in so far as keeping on boil the 

Kashmir dispute.As it is, Pakistan had not 

merged Gilgit  Baltistan with the rest of the

 country with a view to project Kashmir as the 

disputed territory.

The foolhardy decision of Nehru 

Government in stopping the Indian 

defence forces from crossing the 

Kishan Ganga River helped keep 

Kashmir dispute alive 


Not surprisingly, China describes CPEC as a 

vital component of its much publicised One

 Belt One Road project that is aimed at linking 

Europe and Asia to boost trade, commerce 

and industrial production. On the other hand, 

the strategically located Gwadar sea port, on

 which China has a total control, would 

provide China an easy access to the warm

 waters of the Arabian Sea. And during the

 times of crisis, Chinese navy can move its

 personnel through the surface transportation

 network of CPEC to Gwadr . from where they 

can straightaway make it into the Arabian Sea.

 Clearly and apparently, this is the most 

significant geostrategic advantage that China

 could derive by exercising control over

 Gwadar. 




On another plane, the oil and gas pipelines

 originating from Gwadar can be utilised for

 the transportation of crude and natural gas

 secured from Iran. On a more practical

 level, this approach would help China to 

circumvent the highly vulnerable Strait of 

Malacca for thetransportation of crude.

 Growing US navalpresence in the

 disputed South China Sea  a major reason for 

China looking at an alternative route for

 transporting crude. Strait of Malacca choke 

point forms a part of South China Sea. 




Beyond registering the protest against the 

CPEC run through Gilgit and Baltistan, an 

integral part of the state of Jammu and 

Kashmir that was occupied by Pakistan 

through subterfuge in 1947,the Narendra Modi 

led Government has done precious little to 

break the illegal Pakistan-China nexus in the

 Pak occupied Kashmir. It was the glaring

 failure of the independent India’s first 

government led by Pandit Jawaharalal Nehru 

to re-annex Gilgit and Baltistan that opened 

the pandora’s box of Kashmir .dispute. The 

foolhardy decision of Nehru Government in

 stopping the Indian defence forces from 

crossing the Kishan Ganga River helped keep 

Kashmir dispute alive. And the enormous

 price that India continues to pay for this

 thoughtless action is there for everyone to see. 

The political leadership in New Delhi 

should wake up to the possibility of

 CPEC putting India in a vulnerable 

position in so far as the geo strategic 

calculus of the country is concerned. 



The modernization and up-gradation of 

Karkoram highway—passing through the

 illegally occupied Gilgit and Baltistan region

 — as part of CPEC could enable both China

 and Pakistan to move heavy trucks and

 armoured vehicles without let and hindrance

. The formidable Karkoram highway, described

 as one of the highest paved international

 expressways, connects Gilgit and Baltistan to

 Xinjiang. The still far from vocal movement

 for a separate Balwaristan in Gilgit and 

Baltistan could assume  serious dimensions

 once increased Chinese presence becomes

 evident for executing projects under CPEC

. Inhabitants of Gilgit and Baltistan have 

expressed themselves against the stationing

 of Chinese security personnel to take care of

 various projects being executed by the

 Chinese companies. 





There are apprehensions that CPEC could 

end up as a formidable wall planned to deprive

 India of access to areas that lie westwards in

 Afghanistan and Central Asia. There is no

 denying the point that the long term strategic 

challenge posed by CPEC could prove very 

costly for India. The political leadership in 

New Delhi should wake up to the possibility of

 CPEC putting India in a vulnerable position in 

so far as the geo strategic calculus of the 

country is concerned. The Narendra Modi led

   Indian Government should blaze a new trail 

in responding to the fall outs of CPEC with 

particular reference to the Indian security in

 the years ahead.