A key trade partner, but resentment rising

Pakistan has been a showcase for China’s huge international development programme, the Belt and Road Initiative. China is estimated to have spent $62 billion on those projects in Pakistan, mostly to build a transportation corridor through Balochistan to a new, Chinese-operated deepwater port in Gwadar.

The road corridor is also rich in natural resources. Its stated purpose is to greatly reduce shipping costs and time for Chinese goods, but it would also give China an important alternative if faced with naval blockades by the US or its Asian allies.

Aslam Baloch of the Balochistan Liberation Army has accused China and Pakistan of plundering resources in Baluchistan, which his group wants to turn into an independent state.

The violence has raised concern in Beijing. Pakistan’s army has also raised a 15,000 strong force to protect the Chinese projects. Resentment toward the Chinese is also rising. Critics say Beijing is ensnaring Pakistan in so-called “debt diplomacy” by granting opaque loans that Islamabad will find difficult to repay as it faces a balance-of-payments crisis.