By Sana Asghar
Blue economy is now acknowledged by the marine industry as one of the major global drivers of sustainable economic growth. The vast Gwadar Port project is one of Balochistan’s major economic growth projects reshaping the global economy. Furthermore, Pakistan’s Gwadar port is a perfect hub port in the region, drawing trade from Central Asia, Afghanistan, west China, and other countries due to its advantageous position near the Straits of Hormuz (SoH), the main transportation route that connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. These days, Gwadar’s geopolitical location allows it to monitor and manage the oil routes for trade and Sea Lines of
Telecommunications (SLOCs) connecting Africa, Central Asia, West Asia, and South Asia. The Gwadar project will be key in helping Pakistan’s economy recover as a hub port. The Gwadar port’s initial phase was mainly financed and finished by China in 2005.
Chinese involvement in the Gwadar port project is likely to be regarded with reservations by the US and other important regional powers. To handle any upcoming unrest in the local region, the US may ask for army basing rights at the Gwadar port. In the event of such an event, Pakistan would have to weigh being both an ally and a reliable friend.
To support the country’s financial recovery, Pakistan must articulate a policy allowing foreign nations to use the port of Gwadar in a non-military capacity. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is a 2,000-kilometer road and development link that connects Gwadar to the western Chinese region of a region known as one of the most significant development projects for Gwadar Port.
The port is going to be linked to the rest of the nation by rail and road as part of the CPEC, although the project’s scope stretches beyond the development of transportation infrastructure. Actually, it is expected that the Gwadar-Kashgar industrial corridor will help around three billion people in the area. As part of the port facilities in Gwadar, China is also building a 300-sleep hospital, a 19-km Eastbay Motorway that connects the ports to the coastal on the highway, challenges and facilities for the export development zone and free market zone.
In addition to sponsoring each project, China has also committed to cover the cost of constructing a power plant powered by coal in the port create a single plan of action to create an ideal setting for business and link the Gwadar with China via the famous Silk Road and the Central Asian Republics via Afghanistan.
Finally, even though Gwadar Port has a lot of opportunities for trade, there are a few challenges that need to be solved. Historically, the nation’s bordering Gwadar port in South Asia and the Middle East have a long history of conflict and rivalry over power. Powers both regional and extra-regional have made attempts to seize control of the region to safeguard their strategic goals and financial goals.
Particularly among the US, the Chinese presence in the development and management of Gwadar Port caused worries about strategic distrust. They worry that in the future, the Chinese Navy might make use of the port of Gwadar. Should China establish an armed force in the Indian Ocean, particularly in proximity of the Persian Gulf, the United States is anticipated to react to comply with the Carter Doctrine.
According to this idea, any effort by a foreign nation to seize control of the Persian Gulf region will be viewed as an imminent danger to the US’s essential interests. The US will retaliate against such a move by using every tool at its disposal, including force.
Currently, work has been done on the M-8 motorway, which will link Gwadar and Ratodero across an expanse of 852 kilometres. Furthermore, building railways between Gwadar and Jacobabad, Naukundi, Chaman, Karachi, and Naukundi will open up new trade routes for nations like Afghanistan and the rest of the Central Asian Republics. However, the degree of connection with China will depend on how the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor evolves. Making timely and accurate decisions and creating environmentally friendly initiatives are crucial for the success of massive initiatives like the Gwadar Port for the Pakistani government.
The successful completion of the task has been supplied even more hard by Pakistan’s ever-changing political environment and the participation of regional and global factors.
Author holds MPhil Degree in International Relations from Comsats University Islamabad.
