Pakistan’s infrastructure
ISLAMABAD: Renewed diplomatic and military friction between Pakistan andAfghanistan is raising serious concerns among Chinese investors whosemultibillion-dollar projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) and its possible extension into Afghan territory now face growinguncertainty.
Beijing has privately conveyed its unease to both capitals over repeatedborder clashes, cross-border militant activity, and the continuing war ofwords that followed the November terrorist attack on a Chinese engineers’convoy in Balochistan and subsequent accusations traded between Kabul andIslamabad.
Chinese authorities are concerned about the security of over twentythousand Chinese nationals working on CPEC projects in Pakistan and thefeasibility of the much-discussed CPEC extension to Afghanistan, which wasintended to link Pakistani ports with Central Asia through Afghanterritory. Senior officials in Beijing have reportedly told Pakistanicounterparts that sustained instability along the Durand Line could force areview of new funding commitments under the second phase of CPEC.
The Afghan Taliban administration has accused Pakistan of allowing itsairspace to be used for drone strikes inside Afghanistan, while Islamabadmaintains that Kabul is providing sanctuary to the Tehrik-i-TalibanPakistan (TTP), the group responsible for a sharp rise in attacks onPakistani security forces and Chinese interests. The tit-for-tat closure ofborder crossings and expulsion of Afghan refugees have further strainedbilateral ties to their lowest point since the Taliban returned to power in2021.
Analysts note that Chinese investment in Pakistan, which has alreadyexceeded twenty-five billion dollars in energy and infrastructure projects,depends heavily on regional stability. Any perception that Afghanistanremains a safe haven for anti-Pakistan militants directly threatens thelong-term viability of the corridor, especially projects in KhyberPakhtunkhwa and Balochistan that lie close to the Afghan border.
During last month’s trilateral meeting of foreign ministers in Islamabad,China urged both neighbours to resolve differences through dialogue, butlittle progress has been reported. Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiativeflagship in South Asia now appears hostage to the unresolvedPakistan-Afghanistan security dilemma.
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Pakistan insists it remains fully committed to protecting Chinese personneland assets, announcing additional special protection units for CPEC routes.However, investors in Beijing are said to be adopting a wait-and-seeapproach before approving new loans and contracts until tangibleimprovement in bilateral relations is visible.
Source:https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-afghanistan-china-cpec-tensions/33214567.html
Tags: Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, CPEC, TTP, Belt-and-Road
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