Internal and External Threats to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

Abstract

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been considered a significant development project for Pakistan. Since its inception, the project has attracted billions of dollars into Pakistan’s development sector. However, CPEC is facing several challenges driven by both internal and external factors. Internally, CPEC has been disrupted by the Baloch insurgency, which is driven by grievances among the Baloch, recent terrorist activities inspired by the Taliban's return to Afghanistan, and the looming threat of political instability within Pakistan. Externally, the evolving political situation in Afghanistan, India's concerns about territorial disputes, and the competition between the US and China also have implications for the CPEC project. CPEC is an essential part of China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and is vital for regional integration. However, the internal and external threats have slowed down the progress of the CPEC project. This paper attempts to analyse the prevailing threats to CPEC and present recommendations to overcome them.