Why Pakistan's Gwadar port is important for China

[Wen Ling]

The first consignment of Chinese goods passed on November 13 through the Gwadar port in Pakistan on to ports in West Asia and Africa. The port is the showpiece of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, which Beijing sees as a crucial link that will help it in its drive to become a world power.

1.
The Gwadar port
*Gwadar is warm-water, deep-sea port on the Arabian Sea.

* Strategic location between South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, just outside the Straits of Hormuz.

* It was upgraded at a cost of $1.62bn, Chinese media said.

* The port was officially leased to China for 43 years, until 2059. On return after the lease period, it will be Pakistan's second naval base

* It will also be the site of a floating liquefied natural gas facility as part of the larger $2.5 billion Iran–Pakistan gas pipeline project.


2.
What is China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC)

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) is a 3,218-km route consisting of highways, railways and pipelines that will connect Gwadar port to Xinjiang in China. The CPEC is crucial for China's 'One Belt,One Road' initiative that aims to connect China to Europe and Asia.

3.
What Pakistan gains from CPEC
* CPEC investments expected to exceed all FDI in Pakistan since 1970.

* Over 7 lakh direct jobs likely to be created by CPEC in Pakistan.


4.
Why some Pakistani MPs are concerned over CPEC
A group of Pakistani lawmakers has expressed concern that Beijing could eventually use the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to boost its trade with India. "Irrespective of sour India-Pakistan, China will definitely use CPEC to expand its trade with India because one who invests always watches one's interests first," A Pakistani MP said.


5.
Baloch muddle
* People in Balochistan, the Pakistani province in which Gwadar is located, are against the CPEC.

* They claim that the CPEC's benefits will not flow to them.

* Pakistani extremist outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban has already claimed the killing of some Chinese in Pakistan.

* Pakistan has deployed as many as 14,503 security personnel to secure some 7,036 Chinese nationals working on CPEC


6.
Why India is unhappy
*India is unhappy with the CPEC as it passes through the Azad Kashmir.

*PM Narendra Modi brought up the Balochistan issue in his Independence Day speech, drawing protests from Pakistan.

* Baloch activists have been reaching out to India, hoping it will help bring focus to their plight internationally.

 

[war&peace]

The article has a lot of discrepancies

People in Balochistan, the Pakistani province in which Gwadar is located, are against the CPEC.

Simply false...there are few who oppose it but they are in a minority while there are some terrorists but most of them have either laid down their weapons or have been eliminated already.

 

[90ArsalanLeo]

The port was officially leased to China for 43 years, until 2059.

So is the lease free or will china pay Pakistan govt something till 2059?

* Over 7 lakh direct jobs likely to be created by CPEC in Pakistan.

Will china employ its own people to operate the port or it will use Pakistani workforce?

It was upgraded at a cost of $1.62bn

This amount that was spent by china was it a loan? will the Pakistani govt have to pay it back?

It will also be the site of a floating liquefied natural gas facility as part of the larger $2.5 billion Iran–Pakistan gas pipeline project.

Will the facility be owned by china or Pakistan?

*India is unhappy with the CPEC as it passes through the Azad Kashmir.

india is just unhappy in general with cpec this azad kashmir issue is just an excuse to modi & his extremist fellows this project is an economic danger for them which will be good for both Pakistan & china

 

[Wen Ling]

So is the lease free or will china pay Pakistan govt something till 2059?



Will china employ its own people to operate the port or it will use Pakistani workforce?



This amount that was spent by china was it a loan? will the Pakistani govt have to pay it back?




Will the facility be owned by china or Pakistan?



india is just unhappy in general with cpec this azad kashmir issue is just an excuse to modi & his extremist fellows this project is an economic danger for them which will be good for both Pakistan & china

It is too much, I did not know the details.
But I think all the projects are commercial, will be returned by commercial means.
If you can read Chinese, there is enough materials you can read on this kind of thing inside China.
Even it is commercial, the significance of CPEC is that infrastructure is like blood vessels inside human body.Once blood vessel is built, the possibility of how the blood can run is infinite! The benefits is way beyond the jobs it directly provided. If CPEC can be applied well, with good management, maintenance, protection from Pakistan side, any reasonable people will believe Pakistan should have a much better future!
China is looking for long term relationship with Pakistan (~30-50 years is time frame that Chinese politicians think of). I hope Pakistanis thinks the same.

 

[maximuswarrior]

We will gladly help our Chinese allies and reap the rewards in the process. Pakistanis are overjoyed with CPEC and Gwadar. Not only do they support China, but they thank China for its enormous help to make Pakistan prosperous. That includes the vast majority of Baloch people who know that they will directly benefit from this undertaking. Indian concerns are irrelevant. India doesn't want Pakistan to prosper economically or otherwise. India seeks to isolate Pakistan and foment insecurity. We won't let that happen. We will safeguard our nation and relationship with China at all cost. The entire world can be on one side, but our relationship with China will always remain top priority. We fully grasp the importance of China on the world stage.

 

[Wen Ling]

We will gladly help our Chinese allies and reap the rewards in the process. Pakistanis are overjoyed with CPEC and Gwadar. Not only do they support China, but they thank China for its enormous help to make Pakistan prosperous. That includes the vast majority of Baloch people who know that they will directly benefit from this undertaking. Indian concerns are irrelevant. India doesn't want Pakistan to prosper economically or otherwise. India seeks to isolate Pakistan and foment insecurity. We won't let that happen. We will safeguard our nation and relationship with China at all cost. The entire world can be on one side, but our relationship with China will always remain top priority. We fully grasp the importance of China on the world stage.

India's reasonable concern should be taken care of. Certainly not the unreasonable ones...
Many Chinese thinks setting English as the official language has affected Indian elites' thinking a lot. sometime they acted like a huge-sized England. sorry if offended anyone...

 

[Well.wisher]

Baloch muddle
* People in Balochistan, the Pakistani province in which Gwadar is located, are against the Cpec.

* They claim that the CPEC's benefits will not flow to them.

Don't believe this lie .
These are only liars who are paid by India like brahmdad who thinks like this otherwise majority of balochistan are happy over this .
But actually it depends on federal government, nawaz sharif , hope will not favour punjab over balochistan.


GENEVA: (Dunya News) – Baloch Republican Party (BRP) head Brahamdagh Bugti has on Monday said that the Baloch people had no say in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He added that the economic corridor would only help Punjab and there will be no benefits for Baloch people, reported Dunya News.

Talking to Dunya News on ‘Dunya Kamran Khan Kay Saath’, Brahamdagh Bugti said that no Baloch politician was consulted on CPEC. He said that only the people of Balochistan had the right to decidewhether some thing would be good for them or not.

Responding to a question, Brahamdagh said that there was no such problem in Balochistan that couldn’t be resolved. He said that the Balochistan problem would be solved through talks, not guns. “We want a political solution of the Balochistan issue”, he said. He said his return to Pakistan was not a problem. “The problem is Balochistan. I have no interest in returning to Pakistan”, he said.

Brahamdagh said that the government was befooling the people of Pakistan on the issue of the separatists. “As far as we know, nobody laid down any arms”, he said. However, he added that the Balochistan issue must be resolved through talks.”We never refused to talk to the government. We are ready for the talks any time. But I was contacted only once. They didn’t contact me again”, he said.

 

[Abba_Dabba_Jabba]

I see CPEC as a bye-product of Gwadar port project by China, All China had eyes is on Gwadar port and a safe & efficient road connectivity. China is busy in connecting the world with roads & railways, and Gwadar is just another project in their big ambition of connecting the world with China.

Kudos to China for a great strategy in creating a web like structure in the world, starting from south-east, south asia then Gwadar and the Silk route via central asia to Europe is just amazing.

 

[Rasengan]

India's reasonable concern should be taken care of. Certainly not the unreasonable ones...
Many Chinese thinks setting English as the official language has affected Indian elites' thinking a lot. sometime they acted like a huge-sized England. sorry if offended anyone...

Brother India doesn't have any reasonable concerns. A couple of years ago a number of Chinese engineers were attacked in Baluchistan by the BLA. Just last month the leader of the BLA was in Delhi giving speeches and asking the Indian Government to give him citizenship. The same Uighur fighters who are terrorists have an alliance with the TTP and both the CIA, Afghan Intelligence and RAW are supporting them to kill Pakistani's. Don't trust an Indian Brother, they are playing dirty games in the South China Sea and are getting closer to America in order to surround China with hostile neighbors.