The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is one of the newest programs in China designed to bring about cooperation between China and Pakistan and as of April 2015. The two countries plan on improving the infrastructure from major Chinese cities to the city of Gwadar in Pakistan. The project is the result of Xi Jinping’s proposal of the equivalent of $46 Billion USD which will benefit both China and Pakistan grow their international economies. The connection will also add the equivalent of $15 Billion USD of energy sources such as coal and hydro energy from China to Pakistan. This is important because in addition to a source of Chinese revenue, it will greatly bolster Pakistan’s infrastructure which doesn’t have a suitable power grid. Furthermore, the plans call for laying an optical fiber cable to bring telecommunications up to speed in Pakistan. In addition to benefiting the Pakistani power shortages and networking problems, the roadway connection will allow for China to ship goods throughout the Indian Ocean and increase the cooperation between the two nations. The results of this could lead to military and economic alliances that act as a catalyst to Pakistani growth. In securing a Chinese-Pakistani alliance the two states will benefit from a strategic deterrence of India which is a rival south Asian powerhouse. The project does raise some concerns for China though. The apprehensions that arise in the eyes of Xi Jinping are the interruption of commerce by Pakistan’s Islamic extremists such as the Taliban; additionally, the road serves as a potential security problem for undocumented immigration into China. These possible weaknesses come in the years following Jinping’s institution of a national security initiative which is a big issue on the party’s mind. It will be interesting to look back in a few years to the beginning of this initiative to see how well it aids Pakistan in developing itself as well as seeing if it opens markets otherwise inaccessible for China through the Indian Ocean.
Original Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32377088