Rapid political developments and swift
changes of regimes in Asian countries so far have highlighted the vagaries of
the Chinese investments. Notwithstanding burgeoning global concerns Beijing has
been assiduously expanding its global foot print. At a time when Maldivian new
foreign minister is expected to travel to Beijing to take a stock of Chinese
investments in the Archipelago, reports of attacks of Chinese consulate in posh
South Karachi generated a new buzz. The timely intervention of Pakistan
security forces thwarted attempts of the militants to enter the consulate. In
the cross fire that lasted for an hour, seven people including the three-armed
militants lost their lives. Sindh Police successfully rescued all the 21 in the
consulate and shifted them to save place.
Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) soon
claimed responsibility for the attacks. Pakistan launched military operation
against Baloch insurgents which led to death of separatist leader Nawab Akbar
Bhugti in 2005. Soon various separatist groups regrouped and intensified armed
struggle against Pakistani establishment since 2006. Baluchistan, the
resource-rich south west province of Pakistan is gateway to the Gwadar deep
port, the jewel in the crown on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
China and Pakistan signed $50 billion CPEC touted as corner stone of BRI (Belt
and Road Initiative) in 2014. Within few years, both countries ambitiously
revised the CPEC and the worth of projects under the ambit of CPEC currently is
$62 billion. The pivotal objective of CPEC has been developing an unparalleled
connectivity between the restive Xinjiang province of China and the Gwadar port
which opens into Arabian Sea. Accordingly, CPEC included- a slew of
infrastructure development projects- motorways, roadways, railways, oil
pipelines, hydroelectric projects, cyber connectivity. To initiate dozens of
projects, a vast majority of Chinese companies working for CPEC began to
descend on Pakistan. Unlike other countries, China employs its own citizens for
projects.
Baluchistan province which is the
hub of CPEC became preferred home for thousands of Chinese workers engaged in
the construction projects. Steady infiltration of Chinese into Baloch province
exacerbated the angst of Balochis who have been fighting the surreptitious
invasion of Pakistan in 1948. Baluchistan the largest and least populated province
of Pakistan despite its rich mineral deposits is the least under-developed
province. Unlike the richer Punjab province in its immediate neighbourhood,
nearly 45% of Balochis lived in absolute poverty. Balochis felt exploited. After the ratification of CPEC project,
Pakistani establishment apprised Balochis of its crucial role in poverty
alleviation of the region. But China imported men and material vanquishing all
hopes of any economic gains to the local economy. Young Balochis were even
denied of gainful employment. With the province slowly infiltrated by Chinese
men, Baloch feared that they might soon become a minority in the province. As
per conservative estimates around 30,000 Chinese people are believed to be living
in Baluchistan reiterating their fears of turning into a colony. They began
vehemently opposing Chinese investments and escalated liberation struggle.
Earlier in August Baloch separatist
forces attacked a bus carrying Chinese engineers in the Baluchistan province. Since
2014 at
least 44 Chinese nationals were killed in Pakistan working for the
CPEC. Two Chinese tutors were kidnapped and killed by Pakistani IS. For
decades, Baloch separatist forces have been carrying out armed struggle against
Pakistan forces for unfairly exploiting the resources of the province. The
region has been a tinderbox. To ensure completion of CPEC, Pakistan has raised
a 15,000 strong force to protect Chinese investments. Decades of oppression,
forcible Islamisation of the secular province, attempts to annihilate the
ethnic identities have exacerbated the worst fears of Balochis.
Given the opaque nature of Chinese
negotiations the larger perspective and strategic objectives of Beijing to be
pursued under CPEC have by and large remained a closely guarded secret. As per
Pakistani media reports of 2017, Top International Engineering Corporation
(TIEC) under the first phase of the CPEC project announced plans to build houses
for 500,000
Chinese professionals in Baluchistan by 2023. The Mega Chinese
community centre in Gwadar called China Pak Hills was earlier known as
International Port City with the Gwadar Development Authority.
Lawrence Sollins, a retired Colonel
of US Army Reserve through a series of
articles uncovered the details of the CPEC, which he calls it as
China Pakistan Military Corridor. Terming the economic cooperation is just a
façade, the key aspect of CPEC is hard power cooperation. Under the flagship of
BRI, through CPEC, China aims to expand connectivity to Central, South and West
Asia. It intends to dominate and control the Persian Gulf, sea lines of
communication and choke points of Indian Ocean. In the process Beijing intends
to monitor activities of US in the Persian Gulf and outflank the US naval base
of Diego Garcia. China’s quest for gaining access to Arabian Sea began in 2001
with the signing of an agreement for development of Gwadar port, 180 nautical
miles from Strait of Hormuz. Construction began in 2002 and the port became
operational by 2008. By 2013 China obtained operational rights of Gwadar port.
Simultaneously, in 2008 Pakistan
Navy acquired 2500 acres of land in Gwadar district for implementation of new
security arrangement for Pakistan’s coast called the Regional Maritime Security
Patrol. Subsequently Pakistan Navy intensified efforts to acquire land along
the Gwadar coast line. It raised Coastal Security and Harbour Defence Force
with surveillance equipment stationed at the Jiwani port and prepared enough
ground for developing a satellite of naval bases (Pasni, Ormara) along the
Makran coast line. With the launch of CPEC all these military operations are
projected as economic activities aimed to give a massive fillip to the
socio-economic development of Baluchistan. Under the banner of CPEC, Pakistan
military relentlessly carried out the task of acquiring several thousands of
acres of land as part of Gwadar Development Agency to be handed over to China
for further development. Hundred miles from Gwadar, Pakistan opened new naval
base Turbat. In February when talks of China acquiring port Jiwani for military
purpose gained traction, a Chinese submarine visited the region.
In
April 2017, Pakistan signed an agreement handing over the
operations of Gwadar port for 40 years to Chinese Overseas port Holding company.
Islamabad announced commencement of joint Sino-Pakistan patrols in Indian
Ocean. By December both countries agreed to set up weapons testing range at Sonmiani,
seat of Pakistani Space research in Baluchistan province. According to some
reports, China is planning to build a long tunnel at Sonmiani similar to one at
Yulin province for storage and maintenance of nuclear subs for ease of access
to the Arabian Sea. Countries have launched plans to develop island of Astola
located between naval bases Ormara and Pasni and adjacent to vital sea lines.
Exploiting the geographical and strategic significance of Baluchistan province,
China made the region the corner stone of its ties bolstering its global
ambitions all under the seemingly innocuous soft diplomacy.
Considering the depth of the
burgeoning Sino-Pakistan military cooperation under the ruse of CPEC, despite
the attacks on Chinese consulate, both sides agreed that they should be
vigilant against those forces which attempt to drive a wedge in Beijing-Islamabad
cooperation. Imran Khan said, “The attack was intended to scare Chinese
investors and undermine CPEC”.
Given the scale of extensive
build-up of military infrastructure in the region, separatist elements who
realised the vacuity of socio-economic development progress in the region,
miffed by Pakistan falsities began targeting Chinese investments. The latest
attack on the consulate is indeed an attempt to draw international attention
towards dubious concept of Win-win scenario of BRI. A video footage released by
the BLA subsequently unequivocally refers to the exploitative nature of Chinese
investments. Unlike other attacks in Pakistan, this was devoid of Islamist
elements and the perpetrators voiced out their concerns regarding CPEC in
English.
Countries with working democracies
have overwhelmingly turned down Chinese investments through popular verdict
where people voted pro-China leaders in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Maldives out of
power. But in a name-sake democracy like Pakistan, affected groups are now
expressing their strongest disapproval by attacking Chinese consulates/ properties
and Chinese citizens. This is not just one of the incidents, in 2016, Chinese
consulate was attacked at Bishkek by the disgruntled elements.
Countries are now calling the bluff
of China’s newest form of imperialism. Increasingly smaller countries are approaching
IMF with debt issues. Even IMF beset with debt troubles of Pakistan, Angola and
Zambia is growing wary of Chinese investments. As of 2014 around 1/6th
of small nations are mired in debts presently 45% of
low-income countries are engulfed by this crisis. Most of these
countries are part of the China’s flagship BRI. The report even indicates that
China has chosen 78% of countries labelled as Ba2 category of non-investment or
junk level as participants of BRI. Together these developments are raising
serious concerns about China’s serious lack of due diligence. Djibouti, Zambia
and Kenya are now at the verge of ceding ports, energy installations and
broadcasting corporations to China as part of debt servicing plans.
China’s envisioned model of global
financing for infrastructure development exposed the glaring connectivity
deficit in the emerging nations and sheer magnitude of funding shortage. In
absence of reliable financial institutions, countries keen on lifting the
nations from economic throes are becoming victims of Chinese generosity which
comes with strings. This scenario presents an excellent opportunity for nations
or a consortium of nations willing to assist, finance and share technological
know-how to developing/third world countries in building extensive connectivity
networks. China’s tall claims of reshaping the global trade, financial, infrastructure,
investment through flagship connectivity projects as of now failed to live up
to its expectations. Touted as Marshall Plan equivalent, China’s ambitious
initiatives are proving to be much riskier and less reliable.
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