Pakistan: Impact of the Belt and Road Initiative
20 October 2021
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects under the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, BRI, are causing a growing backlash in Balochistan and Karachi. There have been multiple terror attacks targeting Chinese projects and nationals in these areas, and they are likely to continue in the coming months.
By Katie Zeng Xiaojun - north, south and central Asia analyst
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a strategy initiated by the People’s Republic of China that seeks to connect Asia with Africa and Europe via land and maritime networks to improve regional integration, increase trade, and stimulate economic growth. On land, it focuses on jointly building a new Eurasian Land Bridge and developing China-Mongolia-Russia, China-Central Asia-West Asia and China-Indochina Peninsula economic corridors. At sea, the BRI will focus on jointly building smooth, secure and efficient transport routes connecting major seaports along the Belt and Road.
As an example, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a series of enhancements to Pakistan’s infrastructure to increase connectivity between China and Pakistan. However, there is a growing backlash against these BRI projects and affecting the security threats in Pakistan.
In the past few months, there has been an increase in terror attacks targeting Chinese projects and nationals in Balochistan and Karachi working on the CPEC projects. Significant attacks taking place previously were the attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi, the attack at the Pearl Continental hotel in Gwadar port, a suicide car bombing at a luxury hotel in Quetta targeting visiting Chinese diplomats, and more recently a suicide blast targeting a motorcade of Chinese engineers at the Gwadar East Bay Expressway project.
The increase in attacks came amid growing discontent with the CPEC project among the locals in Gwadar city, the seaport in south-western Balochistan. While protests are mainly peaceful, the demonstrators, including fishermen and other local workers, have blocked the roads, burned tyres, chanted slogans, and shut down the city to protest against a severe shortage of water and electricity and threats to their livelihoods. Clashes during the protests are generally unexpected and escalate quickly. In the most recent protest, two demonstrators were injured in a clash with the Gwadar administration officials.
Terror attacks and protests are likely to continue in the coming months, primarily in Balochistan. Pakistan is already undertaking a comprehensive review of the security of Chinese nationals in the country. The uptick in attacks and protests will have only a minor impact on logistic and port operations in the province and slow down the progress of the CPEC, highlighting that the CPEC and other BRI projects can be affected by local conditions.
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