The joint statement of China and Pakistan announced the progress of the Gwadar port area, indicating that it will become the core of the region. This news reflects the influence of the Belt and Road Initiative and reflects the concept that development is the last word. However, the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is part of this strategy, deserves our in-depth attention. Since the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was launched in 2013, Pakistan has cooperated with China on the construction of the Gwadar port. The Pakistani side will Gwadar port and nearby 9The 23 square kilometers were given to China for 43 years, allowing China to build a modern port and prepare for the construction of a free zone and Gwadar airport. The aim is to transform the region into a modern international seaside city that integrates a port, a park and a city, and is Pakistan's version of a "Special Economic Zone".
China's choice to build a port city here is not only to help Pakistan's economic development, but also to transport the oil and gas resources of Gwadar port directly to Kashgar in Xinjiang, China, with the help of the oil and gas pipelines and transportation lines built by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. This will also effectively connect the imports and exports of the Northwest Territories with the Indian Ocean, making this path unimpeded.
Gwadar Port is strategically located in the southwest of Pakistan, facing the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean. It borders the Gulf of Oman's flare location and leads west to the Strait of Hormuz, an important maritime artery, and the Persian Gulf, the latter of which is an oil-rich source.
It is worth noting that direct transportation of Persian Gulf oil ashore through the port of Gwadar to China is more than 2,400 kilometers shorter than a bypass through the Strait of Malacca. Therefore, on October 20 this year, China and Pakistan once again issued a joint statement, emphasizing the importance of the construction of the Gwadar port and mentioning the upgrading project of the Pakistan-1 railway trunk line.
In the joint statement, the two countries expressed their satisfaction with the progress of the current projects at the Gwadar Port desalination plant, airport and hospital, which indicate the rapid progress of construction in the port area. In addition to the key supporting projects, the main construction of the port and the free trade zone has completed the first phase.
Three 50,000-ton multi-purpose wharves and 140,000 square meters of cargo yards have been built, as well as related overseas warehousing, lubricating oil factories, metal material manufacturing, fishery processing, tourism, finance, insurance and other industries in the free zone, which provide processing capacity for oil and gas, container freight and bulk cargo of bulk agricultural products involving international **.
Another noteworthy project is the East Bay Expressway, which connects Gwadar Port to Karachi Port, which is now completed and put into operation. The Port of Karachi is located at the southernmost point of Pakistan's Main Railway Line 1, which runs from Karachi all the way north, passes through the capital Islamabad, and finally reaches Havilian, which is the national transportation artery of Pakistan.
From Harvey to Takot, and then to the Khunjerab port on the China-Pakistan border, it has achieved the best connection with China. The Karakoram Highway is a witness to this corridor, and since its opening in 1978, China has been helping Pakistan with its reconstruction and expansion work, and in the last decade it has built the southern extension to Havilian.
Now, the China-Pakistan joint statement emphasizes the transformation of the Pakistan No. 1 railway trunk line to increase the speed to 140 kilometers per hour, and eventually form the Dongwan Expressway from Gwadar Port to Karachi Port, connect the No. 1 railway line from Karachi to Havelian, and then lead to the China-Pakistan Highway in China through Havilian, and finally build a complete ** channel.