China Pakistan Economic Corridor: 10 key points

The CPEC is a collection of infrastrucre and energy projects whose total worth is around $46 billion.

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.

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.

The Gwadar deep-water port in Balochistan 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.

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.

Pakistan and China will monitor the progress made on CPEC projects using a satellite, which is set to be launched in June 2018, the Dawn online reported.

In August, it was reported that residents of Gilgit-Baltistan and PoK were increasingly angry with Pakistan's and China's exploiting their natural resources without sharing the benefits of development with them. In Gilgit-Baltistan, the influx of Chinese workers have left many locals unemployed, and it is also feared that the CPEC will create an ecological imbalance in the region. In addition, the Gilgit-Baltistan government and the Pakistani Arrmy are forcibly acquiring locals' ancestral lands for the CPEC, Senge H Sering, director, Gilgit-Baltistan National Congress told ANI.


With inputs from agencies