Burak Elmali
As China continues to prioritize the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) within its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework and its regional ambitions, it becomes evident that Beijing is committed to its strategic regional connectivity objectives as a rising great power. Consequently, U.S. foreign policy should place a higher priority on addressing China’s influence in regional connectivity projects. The U.S. should develop a containment-based strategy and design infrastructure and connectivity initiatives to serve as significant strategic tools in the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, all developments related to the CPEC should be closely monitored, taking into account the evolving dynamics between China and Pakistan.
The CPEC, launched in 2015, represents the most expensive and ambitious connectivity initiative under China’s BRI, with an original estimated cost of $62 billion. The corridor spans approximately 3,000 kilometers (about 1,860 miles), commencing in China’s northwestern Xinjiang province and passing through Pakistani territory before reaching the Arabian Sea at the port city of Gwadar in Balochistan.
Over the past decade, the CPEC has come to mean different things for primary stakeholders China and Pakistan, as well as for the broader international community. For China, the project is a strategic move aimed at mitigating the “Malacca Dilemma,” a term describing the potential vulnerability posed by disruptions to China’s access to the Indian Ocean through the South China Sea in case of geopolitical tensions. “It also serves China as a critical conduit for reinforcing economic ties and expanding cooperation with the Persian Gulf region, an area where China’s economic engagement has intensified in recent years.”
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