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China-Pakistan relations: security fence at Gwadar port creates new tensions
- Balochistan home minister reverses plan to erect a fence around Chinese-operated facility after protests from local people
- Port forms part of the US$62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
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China and Pakistan will deepen cooperation on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), in particular Gwadar port and a railway upgrade project, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Pakistani counterpart, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, on Thursday.
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Wang said it carried significance to call his “iron brother” friend – a term used to describe the strong relationship between the two countries – on New Year’s Eve to reaffirm their friendship and Beijing’s commitment to the CPEC.
The call came after protests at Gwadar port this week turned a spotlight on the problems facing the two countries with regards to infrastructure development.
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On Tuesday, Ziaullah Langove, the home minister of Balochistan, the southwestern region that contains the Chinese-operated facility, had to reverse plans to build a fence around it in response to protests from locals.
The reversal serves as a microcosm of the security, political and economic challenges ahead for the US$62 billion CPEC – part of Beijing’s broader Belt and Road Initiative – as the two countries prepare to celebrate 70 year of diplomatic ties in 2021.
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