CPEC - An opportunity for further opportunities

摘要

Much has been written about how the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project will turn Pakistan's fortunes around merely by being a transit for raw materials and energy resources to western China. There is the notion that Gwadar will become a 'new Dubai', a glimmering El Dorado on the shores of the Arabian Sea and the source of untold riches. Indeed, many pictures of a supposed future Gwadar are actually of Hong Kong, the epitome of modernity with its iconic towering skyscrapers. However, what is required is a 'new Rotterdam', a vast container port stretching out endlessly into the desert with the purpose of getting goods in and out of the country. Gwadar should therefore be considered more of a gateway to landlocked Asia due to the CPEC available to also serve the Central Asian states via Afghanistan. These states could be encouraged to use Gwadar by offering an area of the container storage facility for their exclusive use if they in return use Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) vessels for transport. While containerisation is the hallmark of maritime trade today, there is still scope for further opportunities for Pakistan (and others) to expedite exports, (especially to the Arabian Peninsula) by establishing a cargo ferry service. Combined road/sea transportation could be considerably cheaper than air freight for some foodstuffs for example that could travel via Gwadar, embarking on a ferry to a peninsula port for onward travel via its road network, while facilitating Middle Eastern trade with Pakistan, China and Central Asia in reverse. There would also be further opportunities for Pakistan to exploit if such a ferry service was established. It would also provide Pakistan with a strategic sealift capability through the use of these vessels as naval auxiliaries to be chartered or requisitioned in times of crisis, such as environmental/humanitarian/disaster relief operations, support of regional UN missions, and military support to regional allies.