You can choose to be in the US camp by all the means if you believe they are not going to betray you people in times of crises as they have done before. If US navy is able to blockade the sea lines in SCS where chinese navy presence is very much strong, then US navy is sure going to be able to cut off the chinese sea lines to Gwader in the Arabian sea and Mideast where they are strong. The real relatively safe energy supply routes are the ones from russia and other central asian countries directly connecting to northern and northwest china. Thats why russia is strategically very important to china and also SCO is also very important to china. But, pakistan is also strategically important to china as a trusted friend and good neighbour for more than 70 years.
By the way, its public knowledge now that it was pakistani gov under Mushriff asked the chinese gov to help pakistan develop Gwader port, its not a chinese evil trap as you like to believe looking through the indian and US prism.
Quotes from American studies on CPEC:
- The development of Gwadar was as much of a priority for Pakistan as it was for China. Although China’s strategic calculations are often emphasized, the port of Gwadar was a Pakistani-initiated proposal in the early 2000s that was only later rebranded as a BRI project after 2013. All Pakistani governments over the past twenty years, both military- and civilian-led, have encouraged China’s involvement in Gwadar, while Beijing in turn sees the port as a strategic access point to the Indian Ocean.
- Energy projects were initially prioritized by Pakistan’s choice. The majority of first-phase CPEC investments went to energy projects, most notably coal power plants. This preference for coal was part of Pakistan’s desire to diversify the composition of its energy markets. This goal was also in line with Sharif’s and his party’s preference for energy projects to end the country’s electricity shortages in order to secure a 2018 reelection bid.
Many observers view Pakistan as a test case for China’s assertive overseas expansion plans. But sometimes, it is Chinese players who have had to adapt to Islamabad’s realities.
carnegieendowment.org