SCO, OBOR and Pakistan (Part – 2)

Recipe for progress

The project claims that 1,100-kilometer extended motorway is to be constructed between the cities of Karachi and Lahore. Plus the Karakoram Highway between Rawalpindi and the Chinese border is to be utterly renovated and refurbished

 

The world has been observing India’s enmity with Pakistan since 1947. When the leaders of Pakistan and China mutually agreed upon the project and signed a contract to construct the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), connecting China and Pakistan with other regional and regionally extended countries with the Gwadar port, India was utterly surprised and tremendously demoralized

Pak-China relations

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is a full opportunity for Pakistan to coagulate its relations with China and The Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) will offer an edge to Pakistan to improve the mutual relations with the Chinese Academy of Railway Sciences or (CARs).

Plus, Pakistan’s entry into SCO alliance would help to open the new proportions of collaboration with other countries of the region. It would also enhance the ambassadorial actions and dignified place in the comity of nations.

One Belt One Road (OBOR)

The mega project having nearly 70 countries, called the “The president Xi Jinping proposed One Belt One Road” project in 2013, and it is an estimated $5 trillion road and rail network extravaganza that covers around 60-plus countries across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. It is all about constructing substantial assets, most importantly the roads, bridges, gas pipelines, ports, railways, and power plants, etc.

The name, “One Belt One Road” has two parts in which the first part i.e. “One Belt” refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the second part i.e. “One Road” refers to the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road. The project is expected to help in the revitalisation of the ancient Silk Road trading routes.

China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC):

The China Pakistan Economic Corridor is part of ‘One Road One Belt’ program. The project connects the Kashghar City of China with Deep Sea Port of Gwadar through highways, railways, and pipelines. CPEC is a source of enormous economic prospects for Pakistan. It would also help China to connect Asia, Europe and further beyond directly to its market1s. By the development of the CPEC and Gwadar being operational, the distance for transferring 80pc of the China’s oil has been reduced up to 5,000 km.

The project claims that 1,100-kilometer extended motorway is to be constructed between the cities of Karachi and Lahore. Plus the Karakoram Highway between Rawalpindi and the Chinese border is to be utterly renovated and refurbished. Additionally, The Karachi–Peshawar main railway line is also to be upgraded to allow for the railway travel at up to 160 kilometers per hour.

Pakistan’s railway network is also to be extended which would ultimately connect itself to China’s Southern Xinjiang Railway in The City of Kashghar. A setup of pipelines is to be laid for the ease of transport of the liquefied natural gas and oil in which about $2.5 billion worth of pipelines are to be placed between Gwadar and Nawabshah to ease the process of transporting the gas from Iran. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor would also help to reduce the existing 12,000 km journey for the transportation of the oil to China from the Middle East to 2,395 km, as it would be unloaded at Gwadar and transported to China through the CPEC.

CPEC is designed to act as an association for the new Maritime Silk Route that envisions associating three billion people in Asia, Africa and Europe, part of a Eurasia. As soon as Gwadar is fully developed, it would play a vital role in the economic development of Pakistan. The Gwadar port would become a gateway for Central Asian countries, such as Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, connecting Sri Lanka, Iran, and Xinjiang to commence marine transport. An energy infrastructure worth more than $33 billion will be constructed by private conglomerates to help improve one of the most significant issues of Pakistan’s, i.e. chronic energy shortages.

It is expected that approximately $33 billion is to be capitalised in the projects of energy sector which shows that power generation is an important area in the execution of China Pakistan Economic Corridor. It is anticipated that more than 10,400MW of energy producing aptitude is to be established in the meantime of 2018 to 2020 as part of the corridor’s fast-tracked projects.

India-Us Nexus against CPEC:

The world has been observing India’s enmity with Pakistan since 1947. When the leaders of Pakistan and China mutually agreed upon the project and signed a contract to construct the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), connecting China and Pakistan with other regional and regionally extended countries with the Gwadar port, India was utterly surprised and tremendously demoralised because India knew that this project encompassing the huge investment from China i.e. US $ 46 billion, would prove to be a game changer for transmuting the economy of Pakistan in a major way.

India got extremely exasperated knowing that CPEC would provide enormous projected economic benefits to Pakistan. Although not, India thinks that this project is a strategic threat to her interests in the region. Instead of choosing to join this massive project of China Pakistan Economic Corridor, India started a hoop-la movement for opposing the CPEC and tactfully segregating Pakistan. In October 2017, the Trump administration threw its weight behind India’s opposition to the China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), saying it passes through a disputed territory and no country should put itself into a position of dictating the Belt and Road initiative.

If India joins the project, it will prove to be very beneficial to its economy. India would also be able to secure correlated economic reimbursements for its countrymen and would be helped in creating the peaceful and friendly environment in South Asia by determining disagreements with Pakistan through discussions rather than following policies of resentment and pugnaciousness. Due to the growing US-Indian strategic cooperation, Pakistan feels that it needs to deepen its military and diplomatic partnership with China and CPEC is one such example.

Pakistan, for regional cooperation and progress, has invited India to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, saying New Delhi should “shun enmity” with Islamabad and jointly reap the benefit of the multi-billion dollar project.

Conclusion

Pakistan’s economy is continually advancing from its participation in the Shanghai cooperation organisation. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a mean to make Pakistan more relevant to the SCO. Landlocked central Asian countries including Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are ready to get the benefits of shortest way to the seaport of Gwadar which is only at a distance of 2500 km as compared to Iran (4500 km) and Turkey (5000 km) in the journey of progress and development.

Link to Part 1: http://archive.pakistantoday.com.pk/2017/10/29/sco-obor-and-pakistan-part-1/