Interestingly, Russia’s bid to join the CPEC comes as a yet another indication that Moscow, which has been India’s key weapons supplier for decades, is abandoning India for Pakistan. It seems that Russia has more chances than any other country to join the CPEC, as theories about a possible
China-Russia-Pakistan superpower triangle keep piling up. The CPEC may be that formal launchpad to form an alliance between Beijing, Moscow and Islamabad.
CPEC is foundation for China-Russia-Pakistan superpower triangle
But what’s all the fuss about? Is the CPEC really becoming the new BRICS? It could be so.
Just days ago, Russia and Pakistan reportedly held backdoor meetings which led Moscow to formally request access to Gwadar Port and ask China and Pakistan to be part of the lucrative multi-billion-dollar project. According to sources cited by
Pakistan’s Daily Times, the chief of Russia’s intelligence agency, Federal Security Services, made a secret visit to Pakistan.
...
While Pakistan and China have yet to look into Russia’s request to join the CPEC, Vladimir Putin’s country is not the only nation that wants to join the lucrative project. The United Kingdom, Turkey and France have also been pretty assertive and vocal about their intentions to join the Pak-Chinese Corridor. Officials from other European countries are also reportedly in negotiations with Pakistani and Chinese officials to start projects regarding the CPEC.
But the most promising addition to the China-Pakistan project is probably the United Kingdom, which is currently in the long process of leaving the European Union. After Britons voted in favor of Brexit this past summer, the U.K. sees the need to bring its investments into non-EU projects, and the CPEC could become this very platform for investments.
http://www.valuewalk.com/2016/11/uk-france-russia-join-pakistan-china-cpec/