22 ms·

China About to Start $35B of Silk Road Plan in Pakistan

120 points by moritzplassnig 10y ago

LordFrith 10y ago
The Karakoram Highway, between Pakistan and China, is an amazing engineering achievement. The cartoonist and author Ted Rall has visited Central Asia many times. http://rall.com/2009/06/04/the-karakoram-highway http://rall.com/2009/06/04/the-karakoram-highway
- caf 10y ago
  That's a great article - it'd be interesting to know if the KKH has changed much in the intervening 17 years.
  - amingilani 10y ago
    It's still just as mad. I went up to the Pakistan-China border last year.
  - Animats 10y ago
    Apparently there are still bad sections, but more of the highway has been upgraded.[1] China is providing most of the money. In 2010, a major earthquake caused landslides which created a new lake, taking out part of the highway. It took until 2015 to build a new route with 5Km of tunnels. Here's a partial list of projects being funded in Pakistan by China.[2] China's government seems determined to get a land linkup to Europe. Yet this isn't the main "New Silk Road" route - that's further north, through Iran and Iraq.[3] With all the wars in that area, China apparently sees a need to have multiple alternate routes for trade. Good thinking in Beijing. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_of_the_Karakoram_Highway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_of_the_Karakora... [2] http://boi.gov.pk/userfiles1/file/List%20of%20MoUs.docx http://boi.gov.pk/userfiles1/file/List%20of%20MoUs.docx [3] http://www.xinhuanet.com/silkroad/english/index.htm http://www.xinhuanet.com/silkroad/english/index.htm
    - zhte415 10y ago
      China is also extremely interested in economically developing its inner regions, as they've lagged economic development which has come to coastal regions due to high cost of logistics. Anything bought in Islamabad that's 'made in China' was likely manufactured on China's east cost, and arrived via ship. If it would be economically viable to have the same thing manufactured in Xinjiang or Qinghai, and shipped by road, it would be a huge boost for those areas. Especially if linked through Pakistan's road network to sea ports, bringing easy access to Middle East, Europe, Africa as ships would no longer have to navigate via Singapore. An in reverse, it would be a huge diversification of import routes for commodities could come in via another route. Not oil specifically, but all kinds of bulk. Bulk carries of commodities are far less efficient than oil ships, the largest with a capacity of 100,000 tons but 30-60k capacity more common (far less than the capacity of a supertanker). So commodities needed to develop the west of China now have a simpler, more efficient route.
- fdsak 10y ago
  Most of the article is biased reflections of the author.
  - fdsak 10y ago
    I have lots of issues with this author and article. I am one of the locals from that region. The picture caste in this article is very biased and not acceptable. There are issues but not that bleak as depicted by the author. Specially the things describe about Gilgit and Hunza are not correct. The KKH has greatly helped reduced the poverty and its a vital resource for us and all the remote communities. "Violence has been a part of life here since Pakistan and India were partitioned in 1947" >> absolutely wrong , its started after US started funding Taliban after late 90s and now its completely peaceful. "the signs of the cheapness of life are everywhere—starving children and maimed old men line the sidewalks" >> there is poverty but not that much as forcefully describe here. "more than 10,000 people have been shot, bombed and lynched there during the ‘90s alone" >> Ask who was behind it ? and you will get name , who funded cold-war, .. just the same b.s again .. "A stone’s throw from the Line of Control between Pakistani- and Indian-held Kashmir" >> I dont have any good words, there is not a single place where we are so exposed to LOC crossfire.It could be Kashmir but not Gilgit-Baltistan(GB). Lots of lies and biased commentary .. take it with grain of salt.
    - trelltron 10y ago
      This article is from 1999 though. It's probably wrong for 2016, but that's to be expected.
    - LordFrith 10y ago
      > Ask who was behind it ? and you will get name , who funded cold-war, .. just the same b.s again .. I am pretty sure Ted Rall will agree with you that meddling from foreign empires, like the US, causes violence in Central Asia.
    - LordFrith 10y ago
      Have you read Ted Rall's 2006 book Silk Road To Ruin? I'm interested enough in the opinion of a Central Asia local that I would mail you a copy.
- temuze 10y ago
  Great read. Thanks for sharing.
toomuchstuff 10y ago
China must be laughing right now. While Trump cancels TPP, and stops the pivot to Asia, makes America isolationist again, China is busy expanding, building networks, and taking over. Hopefully 4 years isn't enough to make a lasting shift.
knowaveragejoe 10y ago
I'm not sure why the bottom comment is marked "dead", but it seems prescient to me. Isolationism is exactly what China wants the US to do.
- olalonde 10y ago
  Being off topic probably had more to do with it. Personally, I'm happy to see that the first comment is related to the story and not the predictable China bashing.
  - knowaveragejoe 10y ago
    I suppose you have a point, as it is just speculation. But if we are being consistent, we should probably admonish the US-bashing as well, since it is perhaps even more irrelevant.
grecy 10y ago
I'm in West Africa now, and it's staggering to drive out of a tiny jungle track onto a highway equal in size and quality to anywhere in the world. It's also staggering to catch up to the road crew and see they are all Chinese. Same goes for the hydo plants, railways, etc. Of course, almost all of the roads and railways are to extract resources, not to help locals in any way.
- wjruoxue 10y ago
  Could be a win-win situation for both the Chinese and the local.
  - grecy 10y ago
    China stripping all the resources at a fraction of the international price, raping the environment, hiring zero locals, and building roads and railways that go from some place useless to another place useless. No, It's really not helping locals.
    - lethargic_meat 10y ago
      Yep, I forgot about the masses of Chinese workers currently there (e.g. Ghana). One can only hope rising Chinese standards and wages will eventually convince them to hire local instead.
  - lethargic_meat 10y ago
    Ideally for West Africa, China will move their production eventually to them, through heavily unfavorable deals and low wages. However this will help the population get trained and (economically) on their feet to start their own companies. The only problem for most countries in West Africa is that they have weak governments. While China has a despotic, unfavorable to human rights government, it is also very protective and tends to be quite partial to the national companies interests. Without it, foreign companies would steal resources and cheap mass-produce without improving the country on the long run, as it happened in other regions.
  - icantdrive55 10y ago
nikcub 10y ago
Another traditional US ally re-aligning itself between the two major spheres of influence. The balance will tip further in China's favor as the USA recedes further from global development. What's interesting is if you look at the parallel international institutions that China are developing that will compete with the IMF et al, many of the partners are traditional and very close allies of the United States. For ex. with the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, six of the top ten participants are all traditional very close allies of the United States - including Australia, France, the UK and South Korea[0] Long before Trump, Obama lobbied the leaders of these nations and advised against joining the AIIB, to no avail[1] All that post-war development and planning of building up the US sphere of influence slowly and steadily fading away. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Infrastructure_Investment_Bank https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Infrastructure_Investmen... [1] http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-asia-bank-idUSKBN0MD0B320150317 http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-asia-bank-idUSKBN0M...
- binarray2000 10y ago
  While your analysis is true, it only describes the effects which have lead to today's situation. Here are a few causes: * In late 80's US empire has definitely thrown international law above the board by organizing color revolutions, destabilizing other countries and waging wars * US empire and its vassals (other NATO members) leave a trail of blood where ever they show up * Officially, US military - despite its huge budget, infrastructure and human power - still has not (15 years later!) defeated "the terrorists" * US empire has definitely destroyed its financial reputation in 1971 by unilaterally canceling the "gold standard" and, since then, the masks are off and US dollar is being printed/created in the computer at the speed of light, without anything but military might to back it * World Bank and IMF - two institutions majorly influenced by the US - wreak havoc in South America, Africa, South Asia and South Europe * Russia is getting back on feet after 2000 and US empire has no means to counter it * US empire and its media have done something remarkable in the 26 years since the fall of the Berlin wall: In 1990 USA was a country with a great image, in 2016 USA is arguably the most hated country in the world The world outside of the empire sees all this. And runs away from the bully who has ("long before Trump") made himself weaker by seeking refuge in those who show at least some respect.
pk22 10y ago
I am from Pakistan and I really wish it was the US. I wish they had spent 1/10th of the money on development they spent on the war. This could have been something that brought stability and more US influence in the region. I think China will reap all the benefits now.
- bromuro 10y ago
  Where in the world has the US brought stability with its international politics?
  - Tepix 10y ago
    Europe for a couple of decades following WW2.
    - pmontra 10y ago
      Maybe even four or five. It's little because of the only USA now.
    - discordianfish 10y ago
      Why just couple of decades? Its still quite peaceful here.
      - Arnt 10y ago
        Yes, but not significantly due to recent US policy or actions. The Taiwan policy has been pretty good over the last many decades, and there have been other interludes of excellence, such as that offer to Marcos ("you can live in the US and enjoy the spoils of your crimes in peace if you move NOW and PEACEFULLY"). I'm sure there are more.
    - robert_foss 10y ago
      That is a bit of an overstatement. If we look at casualties, the US 400k pales in comparison to the to the 26 million of the Soviet Union[1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties#Human_losses_by_country https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties#Human_...
sanmon3186 10y ago
With most of industrial China on the eastern side, I wonder how beneficial will this trade route be, to China.
- MagnumOpus 10y ago
  This creates more roads/rail from the ports (Gwadar/Karachi etc) to the inland (Islamabad etc), so it will help Chinese trade goods, which almost exclusively arrive by ship to the ports. (Of course, facilitating trade is of secondary importance to the geopolitical aim of gaining influence in Pakistan by making it more dependent on Chinese money and less dependent on western capital markets or western multilateral organisations.)
  - simonh 10y ago
    Anything that makes Pakistan more prosperous and economically stable is a good thing for the west, the rest of the world and Pakistan. Anything that gets China more positively engaged with the rest of the world is good, because it makes China more interested in international stability, property rights and the rule of law. Eventually I think China will come to realize that, as a major investor and driver of economic development around the world, their interests align very closely with those of the west.
    - hd4 10y ago
      >more prosperous and economically stable is a good thing for This is such a crucial point. No one in the world needs an unstable, angsty nuclear-armed state. >think China will come to realize that, as a major investor and driver of economic development around the world, their interests align I think China realized long ago that being prosperous while having hungry neighbors on its doorstep is not really conducive to regional peace. They actually prop up NK exactly for this reason I believe.
- fdsak 10y ago
  Being one of the residents along KKH, I fear nothing except one thing, that is environmental and ecological damage that might inflict on our natural flora & fauna. Neither of the country is interested in environmental effects due to high volume traffic specially to glacier
AtlasLion 10y ago
In (somehow) related news, Morocco is enlisting the help of China for building a new City. http://qz.com/841803/morocco-wants-to-build-a-new-city-from-scratch-with-china│ http://qz.com/841803/morocco-wants-to-build-a-new-city-from-... They just finished building a Huge bridge near the city of Rabat. http://www.thearabweekly.com/Economy/5954/Rabat%E2%80%99s-cable-stayed-bridge-to-have-big-effect-on-Morocco http://www.thearabweekly.com/Economy/5954/Rabat%E2%80%99s-ca...
ssvss 10y ago
Related article regarding China's investment in Srilanka. http://thediplomat.com/2016/11/china-and-sri-lanka-between-a-dream-and-a-nightmare/ http://thediplomat.com/2016/11/china-and-sri-lanka-between-a...
scaraffe 10y ago
The one thing the article doesn't mention is that some of the projects under this plan passes through the Pok (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir), which creates a precarious situation between India, Pakistan and China over Kashmir.
- fdsak 10y ago
  None of this goes through POK (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azad_Kashmir https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azad_Kashmir), could you reference any? If you are thinking of Gilgit-Baltistan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgit-Baltistan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgit-Baltistan), it got independence from Dogra Raj in 1948 after a short war, then the tug-of-war b/w Pakistan and India and rest is history.
  - surmkm 10y ago
    The princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was comprised of Jammu region, Kashmir Valley, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan and a bit of Aksai Chin.[1] So, India have Jammu, Ladakh and a part of Kashmir. Pakistan have POK (Azad Kashmir + Gilgit-Baltistan). And, China have Aksai Chin. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jammu_and_Kashmir_(princely_state) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jammu_and_Kashmir_(princely_st...
    - fdsak 10y ago
      You are right upto 1948, when we fought for our independence to get rid-off Dogra Raj, and became independent and affiliated with Pakistan. So Pakistan did not occupy us. Each side (both India and Pakistan) narrate this story for her benefit :)
knight17 10y ago
When this goes live, China will gain access to an Indian ocean port in Gwadar. This project runs through Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir; these are contested/disputed territory between India and Pakistan. China and India already have boundary disputes in Kashmir and in Arunachal/Tibet More than an Indian ocean port (which could be blockaded by India in case of a war with either of Pakistan or China), this will connect China by road with Middle East Asia and other Central Asian states; China hopes this connectivity will boost trade in the future. This project is undertaken with the intent to engage the excess capacity of the engineering firms that have grown and matured over the years with China's economic surge in the last three decades. These companies have the expertise, technology and project management expertise—to build roads, dams, bridges, tunnels, rails, trains, engines, steel, cement and myriad other things—but doesn't have any takers as they had earlier because of the economic slowdown in China. Another reading is that China has lots of Capital which it can invest abroad but not at home. With the overheated economy at home it is wiser to redeploy it in countries with friendly disposition to Chinese investments. If all goes well China can get a new avenue for its products. Even if none of it works it is not too bad, as China will get the host governments indebted. Sri Lanka[1], with its Hambantota port project, can be considered as an example. [1]: http://www.forbes.com/sites/wadeshepard/2016/11/17/sri-lanka-claims-it-didnt-really-sell-key-national-infrastructure-to-china/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/wadeshepard/2016/11/17/sri-lanka...
mankash666 10y ago
Ah. One hears a lot of complaining from Pakistan and it's citizens against the US and it's apparently damaging policies. It's unlikely for one to hear such complaints against China, as China will nip any dissent in the bud, with an iron fist. The great Chinese censor and censure machinery will soon hold a tight grip around the citizens, media and politics of Pakistan. Happy 2017 and beyond!

120 points by moritzplassnig 10y ago

The Karakoram Highway, between Pakistan and China, is an amazing engineering achievement. The cartoonist and author Ted Rall has visited Central Asia many times. http://rall.com/2009/06/04/the-karakoram-highway http://rall.com/2009/06/04/the-karakoram-highway

caf 10y ago
That's a great article - it'd be interesting to know if the KKH has changed much in the intervening 17 years.
- amingilani 10y ago
  It's still just as mad. I went up to the Pakistan-China border last year.
- Animats 10y ago
  Apparently there are still bad sections, but more of the highway has been upgraded.[1] China is providing most of the money. In 2010, a major earthquake caused landslides which created a new lake, taking out part of the highway. It took until 2015 to build a new route with 5Km of tunnels. Here's a partial list of projects being funded in Pakistan by China.[2] China's government seems determined to get a land linkup to Europe. Yet this isn't the main "New Silk Road" route - that's further north, through Iran and Iraq.[3] With all the wars in that area, China apparently sees a need to have multiple alternate routes for trade. Good thinking in Beijing. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_of_the_Karakoram_Highway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_of_the_Karakora... [2] http://boi.gov.pk/userfiles1/file/List%20of%20MoUs.docx http://boi.gov.pk/userfiles1/file/List%20of%20MoUs.docx [3] http://www.xinhuanet.com/silkroad/english/index.htm http://www.xinhuanet.com/silkroad/english/index.htm
  - zhte415 10y ago
    China is also extremely interested in economically developing its inner regions, as they've lagged economic development which has come to coastal regions due to high cost of logistics. Anything bought in Islamabad that's 'made in China' was likely manufactured on China's east cost, and arrived via ship. If it would be economically viable to have the same thing manufactured in Xinjiang or Qinghai, and shipped by road, it would be a huge boost for those areas. Especially if linked through Pakistan's road network to sea ports, bringing easy access to Middle East, Europe, Africa as ships would no longer have to navigate via Singapore. An in reverse, it would be a huge diversification of import routes for commodities could come in via another route. Not oil specifically, but all kinds of bulk. Bulk carries of commodities are far less efficient than oil ships, the largest with a capacity of 100,000 tons but 30-60k capacity more common (far less than the capacity of a supertanker). So commodities needed to develop the west of China now have a simpler, more efficient route.
fdsak 10y ago
Most of the article is biased reflections of the author.
- fdsak 10y ago
  I have lots of issues with this author and article. I am one of the locals from that region. The picture caste in this article is very biased and not acceptable. There are issues but not that bleak as depicted by the author. Specially the things describe about Gilgit and Hunza are not correct. The KKH has greatly helped reduced the poverty and its a vital resource for us and all the remote communities. "Violence has been a part of life here since Pakistan and India were partitioned in 1947" >> absolutely wrong , its started after US started funding Taliban after late 90s and now its completely peaceful. "the signs of the cheapness of life are everywhere—starving children and maimed old men line the sidewalks" >> there is poverty but not that much as forcefully describe here. "more than 10,000 people have been shot, bombed and lynched there during the ‘90s alone" >> Ask who was behind it ? and you will get name , who funded cold-war, .. just the same b.s again .. "A stone’s throw from the Line of Control between Pakistani- and Indian-held Kashmir" >> I dont have any good words, there is not a single place where we are so exposed to LOC crossfire.It could be Kashmir but not Gilgit-Baltistan(GB). Lots of lies and biased commentary .. take it with grain of salt.
  - trelltron 10y ago
    This article is from 1999 though. It's probably wrong for 2016, but that's to be expected.
  - LordFrith 10y ago
    > Ask who was behind it ? and you will get name , who funded cold-war, .. just the same b.s again .. I am pretty sure Ted Rall will agree with you that meddling from foreign empires, like the US, causes violence in Central Asia.
  - LordFrith 10y ago
    Have you read Ted Rall's 2006 book Silk Road To Ruin? I'm interested enough in the opinion of a Central Asia local that I would mail you a copy.
temuze 10y ago
Great read. Thanks for sharing.

toomuchstuff 10y ago

China must be laughing right now. While Trump cancels TPP, and stops the pivot to Asia, makes America isolationist again, China is busy expanding, building networks, and taking over. Hopefully 4 years isn't enough to make a lasting shift.

knowaveragejoe 10y ago

I'm not sure why the bottom comment is marked "dead", but it seems prescient to me. Isolationism is exactly what China wants the US to do.

olalonde 10y ago
Being off topic probably had more to do with it. Personally, I'm happy to see that the first comment is related to the story and not the predictable China bashing.
- knowaveragejoe 10y ago
  I suppose you have a point, as it is just speculation. But if we are being consistent, we should probably admonish the US-bashing as well, since it is perhaps even more irrelevant.

grecy 10y ago

I'm in West Africa now, and it's staggering to drive out of a tiny jungle track onto a highway equal in size and quality to anywhere in the world. It's also staggering to catch up to the road crew and see they are all Chinese. Same goes for the hydo plants, railways, etc. Of course, almost all of the roads and railways are to extract resources, not to help locals in any way.

wjruoxue 10y ago
Could be a win-win situation for both the Chinese and the local.
- grecy 10y ago
  China stripping all the resources at a fraction of the international price, raping the environment, hiring zero locals, and building roads and railways that go from some place useless to another place useless. No, It's really not helping locals.
  - lethargic_meat 10y ago
    Yep, I forgot about the masses of Chinese workers currently there (e.g. Ghana). One can only hope rising Chinese standards and wages will eventually convince them to hire local instead.
- lethargic_meat 10y ago
  Ideally for West Africa, China will move their production eventually to them, through heavily unfavorable deals and low wages. However this will help the population get trained and (economically) on their feet to start their own companies. The only problem for most countries in West Africa is that they have weak governments. While China has a despotic, unfavorable to human rights government, it is also very protective and tends to be quite partial to the national companies interests. Without it, foreign companies would steal resources and cheap mass-produce without improving the country on the long run, as it happened in other regions.
- icantdrive55 10y ago

nikcub 10y ago

Another traditional US ally re-aligning itself between the two major spheres of influence. The balance will tip further in China's favor as the USA recedes further from global development. What's interesting is if you look at the parallel international institutions that China are developing that will compete with the IMF et al, many of the partners are traditional and very close allies of the United States. For ex. with the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, six of the top ten participants are all traditional very close allies of the United States - including Australia, France, the UK and South Korea[0] Long before Trump, Obama lobbied the leaders of these nations and advised against joining the AIIB, to no avail[1] All that post-war development and planning of building up the US sphere of influence slowly and steadily fading away. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Infrastructure_Investment_Bank https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Infrastructure_Investmen... [1] http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-asia-bank-idUSKBN0MD0B320150317 http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-asia-bank-idUSKBN0M...

binarray2000 10y ago
While your analysis is true, it only describes the effects which have lead to today's situation. Here are a few causes: * In late 80's US empire has definitely thrown international law above the board by organizing color revolutions, destabilizing other countries and waging wars * US empire and its vassals (other NATO members) leave a trail of blood where ever they show up * Officially, US military - despite its huge budget, infrastructure and human power - still has not (15 years later!) defeated "the terrorists" * US empire has definitely destroyed its financial reputation in 1971 by unilaterally canceling the "gold standard" and, since then, the masks are off and US dollar is being printed/created in the computer at the speed of light, without anything but military might to back it * World Bank and IMF - two institutions majorly influenced by the US - wreak havoc in South America, Africa, South Asia and South Europe * Russia is getting back on feet after 2000 and US empire has no means to counter it * US empire and its media have done something remarkable in the 26 years since the fall of the Berlin wall: In 1990 USA was a country with a great image, in 2016 USA is arguably the most hated country in the world The world outside of the empire sees all this. And runs away from the bully who has ("long before Trump") made himself weaker by seeking refuge in those who show at least some respect.

pk22 10y ago

I am from Pakistan and I really wish it was the US. I wish they had spent 1/10th of the money on development they spent on the war. This could have been something that brought stability and more US influence in the region. I think China will reap all the benefits now.

bromuro 10y ago
Where in the world has the US brought stability with its international politics?
- Tepix 10y ago
  Europe for a couple of decades following WW2.
  - pmontra 10y ago
    Maybe even four or five. It's little because of the only USA now.
  - discordianfish 10y ago
    Why just couple of decades? Its still quite peaceful here.
    - Arnt 10y ago
      Yes, but not significantly due to recent US policy or actions. The Taiwan policy has been pretty good over the last many decades, and there have been other interludes of excellence, such as that offer to Marcos ("you can live in the US and enjoy the spoils of your crimes in peace if you move NOW and PEACEFULLY"). I'm sure there are more.
  - robert_foss 10y ago
    That is a bit of an overstatement. If we look at casualties, the US 400k pales in comparison to the to the 26 million of the Soviet Union[1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties#Human_losses_by_country https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties#Human_...

sanmon3186 10y ago

With most of industrial China on the eastern side, I wonder how beneficial will this trade route be, to China.

MagnumOpus 10y ago
This creates more roads/rail from the ports (Gwadar/Karachi etc) to the inland (Islamabad etc), so it will help Chinese trade goods, which almost exclusively arrive by ship to the ports. (Of course, facilitating trade is of secondary importance to the geopolitical aim of gaining influence in Pakistan by making it more dependent on Chinese money and less dependent on western capital markets or western multilateral organisations.)
- simonh 10y ago
  Anything that makes Pakistan more prosperous and economically stable is a good thing for the west, the rest of the world and Pakistan. Anything that gets China more positively engaged with the rest of the world is good, because it makes China more interested in international stability, property rights and the rule of law. Eventually I think China will come to realize that, as a major investor and driver of economic development around the world, their interests align very closely with those of the west.
  - hd4 10y ago
    >more prosperous and economically stable is a good thing for This is such a crucial point. No one in the world needs an unstable, angsty nuclear-armed state. >think China will come to realize that, as a major investor and driver of economic development around the world, their interests align I think China realized long ago that being prosperous while having hungry neighbors on its doorstep is not really conducive to regional peace. They actually prop up NK exactly for this reason I believe.
fdsak 10y ago
Being one of the residents along KKH, I fear nothing except one thing, that is environmental and ecological damage that might inflict on our natural flora & fauna. Neither of the country is interested in environmental effects due to high volume traffic specially to glacier

AtlasLion 10y ago

In (somehow) related news, Morocco is enlisting the help of China for building a new City. http://qz.com/841803/morocco-wants-to-build-a-new-city-from-scratch-with-china│ http://qz.com/841803/morocco-wants-to-build-a-new-city-from-... They just finished building a Huge bridge near the city of Rabat. http://www.thearabweekly.com/Economy/5954/Rabat%E2%80%99s-cable-stayed-bridge-to-have-big-effect-on-Morocco http://www.thearabweekly.com/Economy/5954/Rabat%E2%80%99s-ca...

ssvss 10y ago

Related article regarding China's investment in Srilanka. http://thediplomat.com/2016/11/china-and-sri-lanka-between-a-dream-and-a-nightmare/ http://thediplomat.com/2016/11/china-and-sri-lanka-between-a...

scaraffe 10y ago

The one thing the article doesn't mention is that some of the projects under this plan passes through the Pok (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir), which creates a precarious situation between India, Pakistan and China over Kashmir.

fdsak 10y ago
None of this goes through POK (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azad_Kashmir https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azad_Kashmir), could you reference any? If you are thinking of Gilgit-Baltistan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgit-Baltistan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgit-Baltistan), it got independence from Dogra Raj in 1948 after a short war, then the tug-of-war b/w Pakistan and India and rest is history.
- surmkm 10y ago
  The princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was comprised of Jammu region, Kashmir Valley, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan and a bit of Aksai Chin.[1] So, India have Jammu, Ladakh and a part of Kashmir. Pakistan have POK (Azad Kashmir + Gilgit-Baltistan). And, China have Aksai Chin. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jammu_and_Kashmir_(princely_state) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jammu_and_Kashmir_(princely_st...
  - fdsak 10y ago
    You are right upto 1948, when we fought for our independence to get rid-off Dogra Raj, and became independent and affiliated with Pakistan. So Pakistan did not occupy us. Each side (both India and Pakistan) narrate this story for her benefit :)

knight17 10y ago

When this goes live, China will gain access to an Indian ocean port in Gwadar. This project runs through Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir; these are contested/disputed territory between India and Pakistan. China and India already have boundary disputes in Kashmir and in Arunachal/Tibet More than an Indian ocean port (which could be blockaded by India in case of a war with either of Pakistan or China), this will connect China by road with Middle East Asia and other Central Asian states; China hopes this connectivity will boost trade in the future. This project is undertaken with the intent to engage the excess capacity of the engineering firms that have grown and matured over the years with China's economic surge in the last three decades. These companies have the expertise, technology and project management expertise—to build roads, dams, bridges, tunnels, rails, trains, engines, steel, cement and myriad other things—but doesn't have any takers as they had earlier because of the economic slowdown in China. Another reading is that China has lots of Capital which it can invest abroad but not at home. With the overheated economy at home it is wiser to redeploy it in countries with friendly disposition to Chinese investments. If all goes well China can get a new avenue for its products. Even if none of it works it is not too bad, as China will get the host governments indebted. Sri Lanka[1], with its Hambantota port project, can be considered as an example. [1]: http://www.forbes.com/sites/wadeshepard/2016/11/17/sri-lanka-claims-it-didnt-really-sell-key-national-infrastructure-to-china/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/wadeshepard/2016/11/17/sri-lanka...

mankash666 10y ago

Ah. One hears a lot of complaining from Pakistan and it's citizens against the US and it's apparently damaging policies. It's unlikely for one to hear such complaints against China, as China will nip any dissent in the bud, with an iron fist. The great Chinese censor and censure machinery will soon hold a tight grip around the citizens, media and politics of Pakistan. Happy 2017 and beyond!