Why India and
the US Oppose CPEC? By
Sajjad Shaukat (JR170SS47)
India was openly
opposing the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which is part of China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) or China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the US also joined New Delhi. In this context,
on October 3, 2017, the then US Defence Secretary James Mattis told the
Lawmakers, “The United States has reiterated its support for India’s opposition
to China’s One Belt, One Road initiative…the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) a part of which traverses
Pakistan-Kashmir.”
Pakistan
strongly rejected the statement from the American defence chief that the
multibillion-dollar road and rail network CPEC will pass through a disputed
territory of Kashmir, urging the
international community to focus on blatant human rights violations and
‘heinous crimes’ committed by Indian occupation forces in the Indian Occupied
Kashmir (IOK), and reminded America that Washington had also participated in an
OBOR summit.
Earlier, a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry also dismissed
Mattis’ statement, saying that the OBOR plan was backed by the United Nations
and that CPEC was an economic cooperation initiative.
In this regard,
again, the Indian envoy to China Vikram Mistri told Chinese state media in March,
last year that a part of the CPEC shall pass through Pakistani side of Kashmir
and the OBOR or BRI does not respect India’s “concerns” of sovereignty and
territorial integrity.
Addressing
Indian concerns, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said on April
15, this year, “As for the Indian comments on not participating in the BRI
[Conference] for various reasons, I’d like to say that the BRI is an open and
inclusive economic cooperation initiative. It does not involve territorial and
maritime disputes…Whether the Indian side will participate in the Belt and Road
Forum, I think you need to ask the Indian side for a more specific answer. But
here I’d like to re-emphasise that the BRI is proposed by China but it is
already an international public good….The belt
and road cooperation since it was first proposed…has been an open and inclusive
initiative for all countries…interested in this…if the relevant side would like
to wait and see, we do not oppose that. And as for more international organisations
in the second BRI [Conference] meaning that some countries will lose
opportunities, you may need to ask the countries themselves which do not
participate in the BRI.”
It
is notable that India
which has consistently kept away from BRI did
not participate in its second conference which was held in Beijing from April
25 to 27, 2019 and leaders of countries including heads of state and government
from nearly 40 countries attended the meeting.
Pakistan’ s
Prime Minister Imran Khan, in his speech at the opening ceremony called for greater attention to tackling
poverty as Pakistan and China enter the next phase of the CPEC. He appreciated
the significance of China’s BRI, elaborating, it “marks a new and distinct
phase in the onward march of nations in the world along the path of
globalization”.
However, India and the US continue opposing the CPEC. In
this respect, Indian
lobbies which are well-penetrated in the US administration and Europe, research
centers, think tanks and so-called human rights groups utilize the media tools
in defaming Pakistan internationally. Especially, Indian RAW is availing the opportunity
of the US-led organized propaganda campaign against Pakistan. Now, CPEC is
special target of these hostile entities.
In this
connection, much coverage was given by the external media to a report, released
on April 13, 2017 by Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO)
which is in partnership with Mahatma Gandhi International AISBL. The subject
report portrayed complete Indian negative propaganda themes about the
Pakistan’s provinces of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Balochistan and Sindh. Based on
falsehood, the report also said that the CPEC is breach of international law
and is being implemented without consultation or compensation to the people of
the area.
Undoubtedly, GB
is the gateway of CPEC into Pakistan, whereby GB’s strategic and socio-economic
importance has increased manifold. Like Balochistan, the region has huge
potential in trade with China, tourism, minerals, gems, precious stones,
agriculture-farming and hydro power production. Therefore, GB’s people who are
strengthening their association with Pakistan, pays no attention to the false
propaganda.
While, these
US-led Western entities, particularly India
who also give undue coverage to the meetings and protests against the
integrity of Pakistan, are especially exaggerating the statements of those
Baloch separatist leaders who have taken shelter in Europe and America, and are
fulfilling the agenda of their foreign masters against the CPEC.
The reality is
that the establishment of CPEC between deep Gwadar seaport of Balochistan and
the historic Silk Road city in western regions-Xinjiang of China will connect
Gilgit-Baltistan through Khunjerab Pass. Beijing would also build an
international airport at Gwadar, while the roads infrastructure in Gwadar would
link the communication network of rest of the country to facilitate
transportation of goods.
When Gwadar
seaport becomes fully operational, it would connect the landlocked Central
Asian states with rest of the world. Being the commercial hub, the port is
likely to increase volume of trade, bringing multiple economic and financial
benefits to Pakistan. It will enable high-volume cargo vessels to move in the
major oceans. Gwadar project which is backbone of the CPEC will uplift the
impoverished people of Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, including developments
in other provinces by providing thousands of employment opportunities,
particularly to the less developed areas by redressing their grievances. The
resulting prosperity in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan would damp the
separatist sentiments of the people, which the hostile elements, supported by
the US, India and Israeli do not want. Therefore, these entities and their
media describe the CPEC in negative terms.
In fact, since
the occupation of Afghanistan by the US-led NATO forces, the country has become
center of American CIA, Indian RAW and Israeli Mossad which are in connivance
to obtain the covert designs of the their countries and some Western countries
against Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran. Under the cover of fighting
terrorism, these intelligence agencies which are also in collaboration with the
Afghan intelligence agency National
Directorate of Security (NDS),
support the militants of ISIS and Afghanistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP), including their linked outfits which have been conducting
terror-assaults in Afghanistan and Pakistan as part of the secret strategy of
the US-led countries. Besides, these terrorist outfits are weakening Tibetan
regions of China and Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan through subversive activities.
It is
mentionable that Pakistan’s Armed Forces have successfully broken the backbone
of the foreign-backed terrorists by the military operations Zarb-e-Azb and
Radd-ul-Fasaad. Army and top intelligence agency ISI have broken the network of
these terrorist groups by capturing several militants, while thwarting a number
of terror attempts. Peace has been restored in various regions of Pakistan,
including Karachi and Balochistan province.
But,
in the recent past, blasts in Balochistan and other regions of the country
showed that the US-led India, Afghanistan and Israel have again started acts of
sabotage especially to weaken Pakistan and to damage the Pak-China project of CPEC. Foiled terror attack on the Chinese consulate in
Karachi on November 23, 2018 was part of the same scheme. Nevertheless, CIA, RAW and Mossad are assisting the separatist
elements of the Balochistan to thwart the CPEC project.
It is of
particular attention that that during P.M. Imran Khan’s second trip to China, on
April 28, this year, Islamabad and Beijing embarked on the new phase of the
CPEC by signing memorandum of understanding-agreements on the first Special
Economic Zone (SEZ) and socio-economic development and a new agreement on free
trade. The new phase of the
CPEC would be characterised by industrialization—20 factories is being set up
in Rashakai, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. In view of trade being an important element of
the CPEC, the two sides concluded the second stage of the Free Trade Agreement
(FTA) aimed at strengthening trade ties between the two countries. Under the
new FTA, China would open up 90 per cent of its market for Pakistani goods
whereas Pakistan would share 65pc of its market with Chinese exports. This
would also help in redressing, to a certain extent, the yawning trade imbalance
between the two countries, which stood at $9.7 billion last year.
The two sides
also signed an agreement on a technical package for upgradation of Pakistan’s
main railway line-Mail Line-One (ML-1) under which a
double track from Peshawar to Karachi will be built with China’s help. China who will spend $1bn on 27 projects, help Pakistan Railways in
improving its capacity.
Nonetheless, China has clarified Indian concerns on the CPEC
or OBOR. But, apart from the US, India is particularly opposing the CPEC as
part of the anti-Pakistan and anti-China approach.
Sajjad Shaukat
writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic
Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International
Relations
Email:
sajjad_logic@yahoo.com
