There is the Belt and Road Initiative that China has proposed, but another one of China's famous projects is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) 中国-巴基斯坦经济走廊 پاكستان-چین اقتصادی راہداری that involves a series of infrastructure developments between the two nations, with most primarily within Pakistan. This project, which was worth $46 billion initially, has risen to $62 billion. While modernizing Pakistan's infrastructure and hence economy, China will also have access to Pakistan's resources and most importantly, access to the ocean. China's western provinces are underdeveloped compared to the eastern provinces and the big cities. As it is closer to travel through Pakistan, the corridor will provide immense benefits for both nations. Last year, it started officially working when cargo from China was transported through to carry to Africa.
As Pakistan's government says,
Potential areas of cooperation/development include:
- Regional Connectivity
- Transport Infrastructure
- Energy Hub/flows
- Logistic Hub/flows
- Trade & Commerce
- Peace & development of region
- Connectivity/Harmonization/Integration of civilizations
- Diverse Investment opportunities
- Industrial Cooperation
- Financial Cooperation
- Agricultural Cooperation
- Tourism
- Educational linkage
- Human resource development
- Health Care
- People to people contact
- Increase in livelihood opportunities
- Enhance Security and stability of the region
That's a lot of ways to improve.
Pakistan's transportation is still inferior, but new highways are being built along with new and updated railways. Highways are already linking China to the ports, and it is only a matter of time before they become functional and efficient. It took China a few decades to modernize, but now with two nations involved, we can see drastic changes within a few years.
Besides transportation, energy is also important. Pakistan does have energy shortages, but the over $30 billion invested toward energy will generate much energy. Pipelines are laying ground, and other sources of renewable energy will be ready soon with the new dams and wind turbines.
Jobs are projected to grow over 2 million before 2030, and would also contribute to 17% of Pakistan's GDP. China's GDP will grow , but obviously not as much of a percentage value as with Pakistan. Either way, job growth is always good.
New technology that is developed will be shared. New agricultural methods will help both nations, as Pakistan has limited farming land, and Western China is basically all desert. projects like irrigation systems will be developed heavily. Industries like mining, textiles, and resources will be invested in. There is already a "pilot city" in development in the city of Peshawar as these new developments are brought in. The foreign capital flowing between the two countries will allow industries to be split between the two nations as Pakistan will supply raw materials, and then China and Pakistan can both generate labor markets.
A hot topic in discussion is fiberoptics. Since the beginning of the program, China wanted to create fiberoptic connectivity so that China may transfer its telecom services to other nations. As Pakistan only has one landing state, there is a need to create more. More bandwidth will allow media to be transferred more openly. The cooperation will allow Chinese culture and Pakistani culture to be spread and will enhance understanding of cultural similarities and differences. Now, whether they will be privately held or jointly-state-owned will come later.
But let's look at some problems that may arise. India and Pakistan hate each other. You think the U.S. and North Korea hate each other? It's worse with India and Pakistan. Religious differences, claims over territory, and violence between people plague both nations. China and India also have their skirmishes over Kashmir. Both lay claims to it, and as of now, India has a majority presence there. Obviously, the issue is not that great, but it is still unsettling for India to have Pakistan and China cooperate on such a level. It makes sense for India to be afraid that two nations surrounding it are teaming up together. Just look at the map. India will basically be surrounded. India wants to become more powerful, but with China already one step ahead with its geopolitical dominance, India must be scrambling around right now.
But there are also other problems within Pakistan. Pakistan must deal with terrorism and other violent extremists , and some of them do not wish to see China exerting power in their country.
Such a grand plan compares to the Marshall Plan that the US established after WWII. While it is technically separate from the BRI, it can be seen as the first major step. As the cooperation continues, we'll have to see how India will take grand steps and challenge China's power.
http://cpec.gov.pk/
https://thediplomat.com/tag/china-pakistan-economic-corridor/
https://www.dawn.com/news/1333101
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/chinas-infrastructure-boom-in-pakistan-may-have-fewer-benefits-than-thought-1767764
https://warontherocks.com/2017/09/why-the-china-pakistan-economic-corridor-will-worsen-tensions-in-south-asia/
Comments
Post a Comment