KashifAsrar
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TRADE TACTICS
Stonewalled China looks to Pak
Denied Use Of Kolkata Port, Beijing Plans Rail Link Between Gwadar And Xinjiang
Saibal Dasgupta | TNN
Beijing: Frustrated with India stonewalling its proposal to open a highway from Tibet into India and use Kolkata as a landing port for China-bound consignments, Beijing appears to have turned to its ally Pakistan to resolve logistics.
China is talking with Pakistan to build a rail route and an energy pipeline linking the two countries and eventually turning the Chinese-built Gwadar port in Pakistan into a landing point for international cargo headed to western China through Balochistan, sources said.
Beijing, which built the 809-km Karakoram highway connecting the two countries in 1978, has also accepted a Pakistani request to rebuild and broaden the highway to carry more load. The state-owned China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) has already drawn up a blueprint to make the 335 km stretch between Raikot bridge to the Khunjerab mountain pass, a 30-metre-wide road from from its present width of 10 metres, informed sources said.
The purpose is to link both Qasim and Gwadar with Kashi in Xinjiang province of China. The rail and highway plans have both commercial and strategic objectives as the Karakoram highway passes through disputed areas, sources pointed out.
The Peopleââ¬â¢s Daily, the organ of the Chinese Communist Party, on Friday published a signed article from a researcher from a government thinktank confirming that such plans were indeed under discussion.
Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf has raised these issues during the three visits he made to China in the last couple of years. With the worldââ¬â¢s highest rail track between Beijing and Lhasa, China has already proved it can successfully execute such projects. ââ¬Ëââ¬ËSince early this year, Pakistan has proposed plans to build an energy passage, a trade corridor and a Pakistan-China rail route between the two countries to depict the splendid blueprint for Sino-Pakistan relations,ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ Fu Xiaoqiang, a researcher at the government-funded China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said in the Peopleââ¬â¢s Daily. ââ¬Ëââ¬ËIn fact, the Qwadar (Gwadar) port and Karakoram Road, which China had helped Pakistan build, have made it possible to translate the plans into a reality. If such plans can be turned into reality someday, one can imagine how broad the development perspective for strategic cooperation between the two countries will be,ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ he said.
Using Gwadar as a landing point would cut down the sea journey time for imports to China and save the country millions of dollars.
Gwadar can also give China access to the ports in the Gulf region, which attract goods from all over the world, sources said.
The idea of cross-country linkages in the region dates back to the days of the British when plans were drawn up to build a road linking Calcutta port to Yardung in Tibet. China, of late, has also been open to building energy routes with India.
ââ¬Ëââ¬ËThe Chinese had last year suggested lying a pipeline to bring gas from its Xinjiang fields to India. They felt this would more safe and cost effective as compared to the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline,ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ B R Deepak, a China expert at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, said. A gas pipeline from Xinjing would have to pass through Kashmir, he pointed out.
Chinaââ¬â¢s grandiose strategy involves developing its backward western region including the Xinjiang autonomous region by connecting it to neighbouring countries like India and Pakistan. Beijing is also trying to persuade India to re-open the long-unused Stillwell road between Arunachal Pradesh, Myanmar and Yunnan province in western China. But the Indian government prefers using another road linkage between Manipur and Mayanmar, which could be linked to China, sources said.
In a bid to make Gwadar a hub for international trade, the civil aviation authority of Pakistan has earmarked nearly 3,000 acres of land for a new airport. It has also decided to award the contract for new Gwadar International Airport in Balochistan to a Chinese company ââ¬â the China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) ââ¬â to complete the project in 24-28 months.
Gwadar, a deep-sea port, is of immense strategic value for Pakistan as it extends from the Persian Gulf through the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia and the Far East.
Stonewalled China looks to Pak
Denied Use Of Kolkata Port, Beijing Plans Rail Link Between Gwadar And Xinjiang
Saibal Dasgupta | TNN
Beijing: Frustrated with India stonewalling its proposal to open a highway from Tibet into India and use Kolkata as a landing port for China-bound consignments, Beijing appears to have turned to its ally Pakistan to resolve logistics.
China is talking with Pakistan to build a rail route and an energy pipeline linking the two countries and eventually turning the Chinese-built Gwadar port in Pakistan into a landing point for international cargo headed to western China through Balochistan, sources said.
Beijing, which built the 809-km Karakoram highway connecting the two countries in 1978, has also accepted a Pakistani request to rebuild and broaden the highway to carry more load. The state-owned China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) has already drawn up a blueprint to make the 335 km stretch between Raikot bridge to the Khunjerab mountain pass, a 30-metre-wide road from from its present width of 10 metres, informed sources said.
The purpose is to link both Qasim and Gwadar with Kashi in Xinjiang province of China. The rail and highway plans have both commercial and strategic objectives as the Karakoram highway passes through disputed areas, sources pointed out.
The Peopleââ¬â¢s Daily, the organ of the Chinese Communist Party, on Friday published a signed article from a researcher from a government thinktank confirming that such plans were indeed under discussion.
Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf has raised these issues during the three visits he made to China in the last couple of years. With the worldââ¬â¢s highest rail track between Beijing and Lhasa, China has already proved it can successfully execute such projects. ââ¬Ëââ¬ËSince early this year, Pakistan has proposed plans to build an energy passage, a trade corridor and a Pakistan-China rail route between the two countries to depict the splendid blueprint for Sino-Pakistan relations,ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ Fu Xiaoqiang, a researcher at the government-funded China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said in the Peopleââ¬â¢s Daily. ââ¬Ëââ¬ËIn fact, the Qwadar (Gwadar) port and Karakoram Road, which China had helped Pakistan build, have made it possible to translate the plans into a reality. If such plans can be turned into reality someday, one can imagine how broad the development perspective for strategic cooperation between the two countries will be,ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ he said.
Using Gwadar as a landing point would cut down the sea journey time for imports to China and save the country millions of dollars.
Gwadar can also give China access to the ports in the Gulf region, which attract goods from all over the world, sources said.
The idea of cross-country linkages in the region dates back to the days of the British when plans were drawn up to build a road linking Calcutta port to Yardung in Tibet. China, of late, has also been open to building energy routes with India.
ââ¬Ëââ¬ËThe Chinese had last year suggested lying a pipeline to bring gas from its Xinjiang fields to India. They felt this would more safe and cost effective as compared to the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline,ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ B R Deepak, a China expert at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, said. A gas pipeline from Xinjing would have to pass through Kashmir, he pointed out.
Chinaââ¬â¢s grandiose strategy involves developing its backward western region including the Xinjiang autonomous region by connecting it to neighbouring countries like India and Pakistan. Beijing is also trying to persuade India to re-open the long-unused Stillwell road between Arunachal Pradesh, Myanmar and Yunnan province in western China. But the Indian government prefers using another road linkage between Manipur and Mayanmar, which could be linked to China, sources said.
In a bid to make Gwadar a hub for international trade, the civil aviation authority of Pakistan has earmarked nearly 3,000 acres of land for a new airport. It has also decided to award the contract for new Gwadar International Airport in Balochistan to a Chinese company ââ¬â the China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) ââ¬â to complete the project in 24-28 months.
Gwadar, a deep-sea port, is of immense strategic value for Pakistan as it extends from the Persian Gulf through the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia and the Far East.
:banana2: The more we develop the quicker our problems will be solved. Imagine the effect of all the transport links passing through the backwards areas of NWFP and Baluchistan. As the money comes in people will become independant of the marauding Sardars and things will quiten down fairly quickly. I only hope our government will implement a massive educational Programme and educate the masses so they can benefit from all the changes that are going to come about.
