China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: What the whole world is suspecting, has now been confirmed by Pakistan’s own economist. Earlier it was being told that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will change the fate of Pakistan. Whereas Pakistan’s well-known economist Dr. Qaiser Bengali exposed this and said that no significant investment came under this project. Gwadar Port is also not providing any benefit economically, although it was once described as the ‘heart’ of this plan.

CPEC could not become a gamechanger

In a podcast conversation with a Pakistani journalist, he even said that Pakistan’s economy is sinking day by day. Qaiser Bengali says, “First CPEC was being called a game-changer. Then SIFC, Green Initiative, Udaan Pakistan and now Minerals. These are just words. They have no real results.

Billions of dollars were spent in making it

CPEC was launched in 2013 with an initial investment plan of $46.5 billion. Later, as more projects were added over time, the plan was increased to $62 billion. However, now economists claim that no big investment has actually come. He said, “Apart from Lahore’s Orange Train, I don’t see anything else concrete under CPEC.” When asked whether the billions of dollars promised under CPEC were loans or investments? he said, “It was a mix of both, but nothing actually came.” Many MOUs were signed, but MOUs are not agreements – it is just a statement of intent, not an agreement.

What is CPEC?

Let us tell you that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) starts from Xinjiang in China and passes through the Khunjerab Pass in Northern Pakistan and reaches Gwadar Port in Balochistan. The purpose of making it was to strengthen the transportation network between the two countries so that investment opportunities in Pakistan also increase, infrastructure is strengthened, economic development is accelerated, and the energy crisis is helped in overcoming, but in reality nothing concrete has emerged. Dr. Bengali has even called it a ‘ghost path’.

What is the problem with Gwadar?

Kaiser Bengali said that there are still only four berths at Gwadar Port and no ships arrived last year. He told that when he was in Balochistan, he had gone to Gwadar, then the port gate was locked with a lock like a small suitcase and the guard had gone to his village.

Bengali, who has been an advisor to the Sindh Chief Minister, said Gwadar cannot become a transit or trade hub because its economic hinterland is more than 1,000 kilometers away. Stating the reality, he said, “We had imported three ships of wheat in 2008 just to prove that Gwadar was alive. Whereas there was no need for it in Gwadar. Then the wheat was brought from Gwadar to Karachi and Rs 2 billion was spent just in taking it to Karachi. If the goods had been unloaded directly in Karachi, Rs 2 billion would have been saved.”

The economist said that Gwadar is not economically feasible and this port can be possible only if it is connected to Lokandi and Helmand in Afghanistan and a special Afghan transit corridor is created. Till then, Gwadar may not be economically profitable. But looking at the current situation with Afghanistan, now this country does not want to import anything through Pakistan. Afghanistan now prefers Chabahar and the railway link between Chabahar and Afghanistan has been completed.

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China is the best friend of Pakistan. However, these days relationships between the two countries do not look normal. This is because Pakistan has decided to seek help from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) instead of China for the advancement of its old railway network. Pakistan has sought a $ 2 billion loan from ADB to improve the Karachi-Rohri railway section. This is the same ML-1 project, which was once considered the biggest and ambitious plan of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

China’s retreat from the project reveals Pakistan’s economic condition concerns. There is a lot of speculation about this, why have they pulled their hands from the Pakistani project in China. However, China has not suddenly decided to withdraw from the project. It is believed that Pakistan’s weak economic situation and problems of repaying debt could have caused trouble for China. China has already invested billions of dollars in Pakistan, where China is facing a serious problem in withdrawing money from Pakistan. Given the pressures of its economy, China is retreating from more risky investments. It is clear that when the financial situation is in danger, then all the weather companions can also retreat.

Importance of raco dik mine and ML-1
Balochistan’s raco, copper and gold mine can prove to be decisive for Pakistan’s economy. It is possible to get a large amount of minerals from the mine, but the old railway line is not so strong that the minerals can be transported on a large scale. For this, it is very important to upgrade the ML-1 railway line to the mine. For this reason, ADB has not only shown interest in the ML-1 project, but has also promised to help $ 410 million for the Reco Dik Khadan.

China, America and ADB
Increasing the role of ADB means that Pakistan no longer wants to depend only on China. According to sources, Pakistan had taken consent from China before this move so that the relationship would not be soured. Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir said, “We will not sacrifice another friend for one friend.” At the same time, America is also showing interest in Pakistan’s Reco Dikk. This indicates that Pakistan is now moving towards multi -faceted foreign policy, which will include China, America and multilateral institution (ADB, IMF). In recent times, relations between Pakistan and America have been seen getting good, as US President Donald Trump has announced to create a Pakistani oil reserve.

CPEC’s future and Pakistan’s strategy
Between 2015-2019, several highways, power plants and ports were built under CPEC, but the development has slowed down since 2022. Chinese power producers have faced the problem of dues. China’s withdrawal from a big project like ML-1 further clarifies this lethargy. Now the arrival of ADB can be a lot of problem for CPEC.

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During the ongoing SCO summit 2025 in Tianjin, China, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin came on the same stage. A statement from America has also come out about this. The US State Department and US officials issued a special statement about the Indo-US relations, emphasizing strong partnership and cooperation between the two countries.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “The partnership between India and America is continuously reaching new heights and it has become a 21st century defined relationship.” The statement also said that this month, America is especially focusing on Indo-US people, progress and possibilities, which are helping both countries to pursue.

Marco Rubio said this big thing

Marco Rubio also stated in his statement that these collaborations include innovation, defense and bilateral relations. He said that permanent friendship between the citizens of both countries is the real power of this partnership and this is determining the direction of the future. The US has also launched a social media campaign with its statement. He said, “Follow #USindiaFWDFOROURAREPEPLE’s Heshtag and be a part of this journey.” Through this headtag, the ongoing cooperation, progress and partnership between America and India is being displayed in front of the world.

The partnership between the united states and India continues to reach new heights – a defining relationship of the 21st century. This month, we’re spotlighting the People, Progress, and Possibilites Driving Us Forward. From innovation and entrepreneurship to defense and… pic.twitter.com/tjd1tgxnxi

– US Embassy India (@usandindia) September 1, 2025

This tweet of the US embassy in India came at a time when there was a warm meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin in Tianjin, China on Monday morning. The meeting took place at a time when the then US President Donald Trump has imposed 50 percent heavy tariffs on India and his advisors and strategists are making strict statements against India.

Discussion of these three countries meeting around the world

The meeting of this three countries held in China is being discussed in political and diplomatic capitals around the world. On this occasion, Prime Minister Modi while addressing at the SCO summit said, “To limit the aspirations of Global South in the old and outdated framework is injustice towards future generations. We cannot show the old -fashioned multi -colored dreams on the old -fashioned black and white screen. For this we have to change the screen.”

Through this message, the Prime Minister indicated to the world to accept change and adopt new thinking, so that the creativity and aspirations of the youth in the path of global partnership and development can be respected.

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At the 25th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held in Tianjin city of China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the plane session, made a big statement on connectivity and sovereignty. PM Modi said that connectivity should always respect sovereignty and regional integrity. This is the basic principle of SCO Charter. Connectivity that bypasses sovereignty cannot be trusted and has no importance.

This statement is directly considered a gesture on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which passes through Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). This project is the most important part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and India has been opposing it for a long time. PM Modi further said that India believes that strong connectivity ensures not only business, but also trust and development. From this point of view, India is working on the Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor (Instc), which will strengthen connectivity to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

He said that India has always been trying that the SCO is not limited to governments, but it should be linked to common people, youth, researchers and startups so that the organization’s reach and impact can increase.

What is Bri?

BRI (BELT and Road Initiative), which is called One Belt, One Road in Chinese, is a major global initiative of China. It started with the objective that Chinese companies should manufacture transport, energy and other infrastructure projects abroad. These projects are funded by loans from Chinese development banks.

Its main goal is to improve connectivity to the rest of the world of China and thus the business and economy get strengthened. In a way, it can be called the new Silk Road of the 21st century, which creates a trade route from China to Europe via Middle East.

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the idea in 2013 during visits to Kazakhstan and Indonesia. After this, this initiative progressed rapidly and many big projects were created under it, such as railways in Kenya and Laos and power stations in Pakistan and Indonesia.

Why is India against Bri?

India has opposed BRI from the beginning and the biggest reason for this is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). CPEC is the flagship project of Bri, which passes through Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). India believes that this is a violation of its sovereign rights, because Pok is an integral part of India.

The Government of India says that it has repeatedly lodged a formal protest against the countries concerned on this issue and asked them to stop such activities. The Ministry of External Affairs has made it clear that the government’s stand is clear and stable. At the same time, the Government of India continuously keeps a close watch on every development related to this project and takes all the necessary steps to protect the security and integrity of the country.

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Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, has reached Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan after finishing his visit to India on Wednesday (August 20, 2025), where Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister Ishaq Dar will also arrive. Wang did not visit Islamabad directly after a visit to New Delhi keeping in mind India’s sensitivity. Rather, he arrived to participate in the tripartite conference of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan to be held in Kabul.

The Taliban government of Afghanistan is going to host the foreign ministers of both neighboring countries of India, Pakistan and China together. However, in this tripartite conference to be held in Kabul, there is going to be discussion about expansion and economic cooperation up to Kabul of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). At the same time, India is also sitting on its eyes on this tripartite meeting to be held in Kabul.

What does Afghanistan want,

According to a Bloomberg report, the Taliban again came to power in Afghanistan four years ago, followed by the first high -level meeting to be held internationally led by the Taliban. Through this tripartite conference with China and Pakistan, the Taliban government is engaged in further strengthening its international validity efforts. Hafiz Zia Ahmed, Deputy Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of Afghanistan, said in an X post that many important issues including political, economic and regional cooperation will be discussed in this meeting between the three countries.

China to Afghanistan CPEC The proposal to add in

Prior to Kabul, the fifth tripartite conference between these three countries was held in Beijing, the capital of China and it was agreed to include Afghanistan in the CPEC at the Beijing Conference. However, China had proposed to include Afghanistan in CPEC for the first time in December 2017. In this proposal, China wants to build a motorway from Pakistan’s Peshawar to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. At the same time, the Taliban government has also agreed on this proposal of China.

Why trilateral meeting is the cause of concern for India,

India has been strongly opposing this CPEC of China and Pakistan since the beginning. This corridor of China passes through POK, which is a violation of India’s sovereignty and regional integrity. In such a situation, Pakistan can strengthen its claim on POK by joining this corridor project of Afghanistan. Which is a cause of concern for India.

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