CPEC

Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua on Wednesday responded to the concerns raised by
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Xinhua said China was "unlikely to give up on the idea" of CPEC - which runs through
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) - because of India's protest.

Positive point of CPEC:

A multibillion-dollar investment
The CPEC is a collection of infrastructure and energy projects whose total worth is around
$46 billion.

An ambitious project
The project was launched in 2015. If completed, the 3,000-km network of roads, railways
and pipelines will link western China to Southern Pakistan

Part of a larger Chinese strategy

The CPEC is a part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's Silk Road Economic Belt and the
21st Maritime Silk Road projects, two development plans that seek to deepen Mainland
China's economic cooperation with a number of Asian and European countries.

CPEC in three geo-politically significant regions

The corridor will pass through Baluchistan province - where a separatist movement has
been under way for decades - as well as through Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir (Pock).

Advantages for Pakistan

Pakistan's motivation for investing in the project is two-fold: it hopes the CPEC will
stimulate economic development and increase energy production. In fact, $35 billion will
be invested in coal and LNG-based thermal energy projects in Pakistan, the Economic
Times reported

Advantages for China

The ET report also outlined the wins for Pakistan's 'all-weather friend.' First, China expects
to be able to transport its energy supplies from the Persian Gulf faster. Second, the
corridor could lead to economic development in Western China, a land-locked region. And
finally, China, by "establishing its physical footprint" in Gilgit-Baltistan, also hopes to check
the movement of Uighur separatist militants

Gwadar port
The Gwadar deep-water port in Baluchistan province is an important cog in the CPEC
apparatus. China Overseas Ports Holding Company Ltd, the Chinese firm that in 2013
took over port operations, expects Gwadar port to be fully operational before the end of
the year, and to process a million tons of cargo in 2017. Most of the cargo will be
construction materials for the CPEC. It is worth noting that in the conflict-torn region where
the port is situated, there has been a decades-long struggle for independence from
Pakistan, which is accused of siphoning the region's resources into its coffers to the
detriment of its residents.

Security for Chinese nationals

More than 17,000 Pakistani security personnel have been tasked with providing protection
for Chinese nationals in Pakistan. It was reported in April than Pakistan was set to deploy
an additional 4,000 personnel to provide security for Chinese nationals working on the
CPEC - amongst other projects - in Punjab province.