China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Development Research Articles

A Delphi study on identifying environmental risk factors in the construction of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

Abstract The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) represents a monumental initiative aimed at enhancing economic cooperation between China and Pakistan. However, the construction and operational phases of CPEC are fraught with numerous environmental risks that could impede its successful implementation. This study employs the Delphi method to systematically identify and evaluate the environmental risk factors associated with CPEC. A panel of experts from diverse fields, including environmental science, engineering, and regional planning, participated in multiple rounds of surveys to reach a consensus on the most critical environmental threats. Various studies have addressed general environmental impacts of large-scale projects, there is a gap in targeted research that systematically identifies and evaluates specific environmental risk factors associated with CPEC. This study aims to fill this gap by providing a detailed and consensus-based understanding. The findings highlight key risk areas such as carbon emission, climate change, air quality deterioration, and biodiversity loss. By providing a comprehensive risk assessment, this research offers valuable insights for policymakers, stakeholders, and project managers to develop robust mitigation strategies, ensuring the sustainable development of CPEC. The study underscores the importance of proactive environmental management in large-scale infrastructure projects within ecologically sensitive regions.

Environmental governance in Pakistan: Perspectives and implications for the China-Pakistan economic corridor plan

Environmental governance (EG), climate-resilient development, and environmental sustainability are interlinked phenomena. It is in this context that an evaluation of Pakistan's EG was carried out in order to establish policy insights into the environmental sustainability of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Plan 2017–2030. A questionnaire survey approach (targeting various stakeholder groups), using a multi-criteria decision analysis of ‘Best’ and ‘Worst’ method and an integrated EG framework were used. An important finding is that responsiveness was ranked as best and equity as worst EG themes for CPEC sustainability. Similarly, criteria transparency is considered to be the best aspect and criteria access to information/knowledge the worst. Other aspects scoring highly included e.g. monitoring and evaluation; stakeholder's communication and collaboration in governance processes; mechanisms to ensure that means and rationales of decisions making are transparent for eco-friendly development under the CPEC Plan; stakeholders' input integration in planning and policy implementation; stakeholders capacity building to deal with environmental and CC concerns of CPEC development. Criteria scoring poorly included e.g., effective mechanisms to resolve conflicts between federal and provincial Environmental Protection Agencies and implementation of environmental laws in letter and spirit, as well as marginalized stakeholders' participation in the decision-making process. In this context, the Government needs to establish an effective EG system to ensure environmentally friendly and climate-resilient development (CRD) in the country.

Natural Hazard Vulnerability and Risk Assessment: The Case of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

The coverage area of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan, including its critical functional zones within which major projects are located, is prone to different types of natural hazards and disasters. Since 2015, efforts have been made to operationalize CPEC without institutionalizing and establishing a comprehensive natural hazard risk assessment mechanism within the China-Pakistan collaborative framework. It goes against the grain of robust, resilient, and sustainable long-term development of CPEC. This study critically argues for the need to set up a multi-hazard risk assessment and disaster response mechanism as part of the institutional framework of CPEC, responsible for identifying, preparing, and planning against primary, secondary, and tertiary risks in accordance with the varied hazard vulnerability prevalence in varying geospatial and functional zones within the coverage area of CPEC. Overall, the study identifies and discusses the risk-prone nature of the current development of CPEC and proposes a real-time, technologically enabled, natural hazard risk assessment of CPEC projects spread over varying geospatial and functional zones in an institutional framework characterized by the uninterrupted collaboration and concentration of experts and resources from China and Pakistan.

TEN YEAR ANALYSIS OF CHINA PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (CPEC)

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has recently completed its ten-year anniversary, and this research article aims to evaluate its impact and the factors that have influenced its development. Despite facing criticism and challenges, CPEC has brought about some benefits, particularly in terms of transportation infrastructure. However, the project has also encountered difficulties, including protests and concerns about its vagueness. This paper will examine the factors that have affected the development of CPEC, including policy changes, the COVID-19 pandemic, and terrorist attacks. Additionally, it will analyze the trade relations between Pakistan and China and assess the extent to which CPEC has achieved its intended goals. The study will rely on secondary data and literature review to provide a comprehensive understanding of the CPEC project and its outcomes.

Indian Involvement in Balochistan: Implications for CPEC

The current research article has shed light on the Baloch insurgency which has created many untoward conditions for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The role of world actors in propagation of adverse conditions in the Baloch region has also been meticulously analyzed. The focus of the research is laid on the role of India that supports insurgency in Balochistan. It has been discussed with concrete evidence that India has been meddling in Baloch territory. It wants to pursue certain political gains by scattering influence beyond its jurisdiction. The development of CPEC is perceived as a threat by India so it wants to hamper CPEC as well as the growing Chinese influence in the region. The researcher has found various causes of insurgency in Balochistan, which have been discussed with logical explanations.

HIGH QUALITY DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHINA PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR AND RECONSTRUCTION OF THE GLOBAL GOVERNANCE SYSTEM

In order to cope with the unprecedented changes in a century, the "Belt and Road" Initiative (BRI) co-construction project with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as the flagship has become an important carrier for economic growth and reconstruction of the global industrial chain and supply chain, which is leading the reconstruction of the global economic governance system. Anatomy of the internal relationship between the high-quality development of CPEC and global economic governance, analysis of the important value of the corridor to the stable development of regional economic society and its internal driving force for stable and long-term development, and clarification of the internal mechanism of corridor investment operation and the global industrial chain and supply chain reconstruction will help to further promote the co-construction of BRI and provide useful reference for building an open, linked and more inclusive world economy and jointly building Human Community with a Shared Future with political mutual trust, economic integration and cultural tolerance

Impact of CPEC Transit Routes on Environmental Sustainability

Transit routes play a significant role in the transportation of goods and services in a supply chain. A short and safe transit route improves overall transport efficiency and environmental sustainability while reducing logistical costs. Since China's need of oil is increasing day by day, the logistics service providers (LSPs) continually seek a quick and safe transit route for faster demand response time with a low price. China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a new hope for LSPs for the supply of oil and other goods to China with a short and safe transit route. The traditional sea routes of oil supply are very long and time-consuming. However, through the development of CPEC, the results have shown a massive decline in route distance, delivery time, and cost that will help the LSPs with continuous supply with low costs and promoting environmental sustainability.

All geopolitics is local: the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor amidst overlapping centre–periphery relations

Pakistan occupies an elevated role in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and hosts its so-called flagship project, the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Existing literature has often interpreted this project from a geopolitical perspective, as a vehicle through which a rising China projects influence on a peripheral country and advances its own centrality in international affairs. While such motivations certainly played a major role in getting the project off the ground, they are not the sole determinant of its design, or the heated controversies it triggered within Pakistan. This paper seeks to capture both dimensions by analysing the development of CPEC, and the handling of the conflicts it sparked, through a lens of overlapping centre–periphery relations: one between China and Pakistan at the international level, and one between Islamabad and peripheral regions and groups within the country. I argue that this model best captures the pivotal position and resulting agency of national governments in shaping local BRI implementations. It also shows how the BRI is not a straight case of Chinese influence radiating outwards; rather, contestation by local actors in turn forces adaptations in Chinese foreign and security policy.

Cross border project in China-Pakistan economic corridor and its influence on women empowerment perspectives.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a significant and inaugural project of the "Belt and Road" initiative which is considered as structure and manifesto for panoramic and fundamental collaboration between China and Pakistan. The CPEC project was initiated to develop economic growth and facilitate free trade between both countries. However, it has generated immense employment opportunities, education facilities, and improved quality of life for local citizens, specifically women, as well as international overreach. This study investigates and examines the benefits of CPEC project and its influence on women empowerment. Based on the background of the CPEC, this study has been carried out by applying a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods to fill the gap. Data was aggregated with the help of a survey questionnaire and interviews from the residents of the Thar region of Pakistan, which comes under CPEC route. In total, 306 samples were acquired and analysed using different statistical tools such as SPSS (Statistical package for social sciences) and PLS (Partial least squares) to formulate the study results. The findings revealed that the development of CPEC has remarkably improved the quality of life for women by providing enormous employment opportunities, education facilities, skills enhancement programs, and training facilities. The analyzed results will guide government policymakers and officials to promote operational activities in the region, develop new educational institutions, and create employment opportunities for the local community and women to obtain further development of CPEC projects.

Investigating the Impact of the External Environment and Benchmark Characteristics on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor's Construction: A COVID-19 Perspective.

The economic stability of a country, such as Pakistan is dependent on the construction of mega-projects, such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). However, certain external factors and project characteristics may delay the construction of infrastructure projects; scholars have not investigated the development of CPEC from this perspective. In addition, the COVID-19 outbreak has hindered CPEC initiatives. This analysis will examine the effect of external environment factors on CPEC, and benchmark the project’s effects on economic stability through CPEC’s development by incorporating 523 samples obtained from employees of various CPEC projects. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze all hypotheses proposed here on AMOS 21.0 tools. According to the findings of this study, the CPEC external environment and project benchmark characteristics have a negative effect on the construction of CPEC development. Furthermore, the development of CPEC is found to have a significant effect on economic stability. However, fear of COVID-19 has weakened the relationship between CPEC development and economic stability. Finally, we also discuss the implications and limitations of the study.

CHINA PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR: A VOYAGE TO SHARED DESTINY

The development of numerous ventures which includes organizational structures, growths, and services, has been documented for the period of a long time as an essential part of the politics of the globe. It is quite evident that the centre of financial power is transforming from West to East. Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has provided Pakistan and its surrounded countries with prominent opportunities through establishing and participating in the platform for masses in Central, West, South Asia, Middle East, and Africa. China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a flagship project that is part of BRI. CPEC is the typical appearance of the conjunction of geo-strategic and geo-economic benefits of the two partners. Whereas the contemporary financial prudence would fulfill the financial benefits of Pakistan and China to enhance the development through mutual benefit in organizational structures & would correspond the efforts to secure common adversaries in forthcoming. CPEC is the significant initiative to establish energy, highway, port infrastructure & to expand financial networks among both countries. As this initiative has been acknowledged in Pakistan and China but there are various problems which equal partners must deal with cooperation, devotion, hard work, and with use of magnificent skills. The paper focuses on the development of CPEC and the benefits that are accomplished by both states. It also shed light on the geostrategic importance of Pakistan. The economic corridor is highly valued by Pakistan, and it has been signified in the terms of mutual benefit of economic and political growth

Abstract CPEC Development and Business Improvement: Analyzing the Mediating role of Quality of Life and Employment Opportunities

China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a potential game-changer project for Pakistan. The core objective of the research paper is to analyze the extent of influence of the CPEC for improvement of quality of life of the citizens, increasing business and employment opportunities. So, it is hypothesized that development of CPEC leads to better quality of life, creating employment opportunities, and improve businesses. Methodologically, survey was designed to gather primary data from the respondents. Respondents were purposively selected to fill a questionnaire. Responses were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results proved that CPEC is a crucial factor in bringing changes in the quality of life, employment opportunities and business improvement in Pakistan. On the basis of the results, it is recommended that the slow progress of the development of CPEC projects should be speed up immediately. The local businesses and industries should provide incentive to invest in the CPEC projects, political consensus should be developed for effective implementation of the CPEC.

Environmental Pollution a Negative Externality from China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): Policy implications for Pakistan

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) isconsidered as the ‘flagship’ project of China’s Belt andRoad Initiative (BRI) and has been widely acclaimedby both Chinese and Pakistani officials often terming itas ‘game-changer’ to overcome Pakistan’s lingeringissues of energy and economic crisis. Within theframework of CPEC, China is investing more than 56billion US dollars as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)in various energy and infrastructure projects includinga vast network of railways, highways, economic zonesand gas pipelines. While much has been debated andwritten about various projects under CPEC in theexisting academic discourses, vis-à-vis threats to thebiodiversity (Nabi et al., 2017), its potentialimplications to environmental hazards (Ali, 2018) andto overcome energy shortfall of Pakistan (Kugelman,2017). However, scientific study to reinforce the issuesof environmental pollution, particularly related toCEPEC coal-based energy projects have been stilllacking.The pertained literature on CPEC consisted qualitativestudies to inspect and judge different aspects such asimportance of CPEC for both countries and its effectson geo political of South Asia. Challenges for CPEC inPakistan, South Asia and foreign policy betweenChina-Pakistan), as Nan, (2015) explained that thisproject is not only valuable for Pakistan and China, butit is also beneficial for the global economy byincluding several other countries. Furthermore, Li andSun, (2015) and Irshad, etal, (2015) reported theimportance of CPEC and it long and short-termbenefits for both countries. Further, Hussain and Khan(2017) also stated that it will enhance the cooperationbetween two countries and advantageous for Chinese,Middle Eastern and South Asian people (Ali, 2016).Further, Wolf, (2017) explained the insights, potentialsand challenges concerning CPEC and domestic levelcooperation between China and Pakistan.In addition, quantitative studies focused to shed a lighton the impact of China Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) (Such as, impact on gdp, socio-economy,trade, stock market, energy sector and infrastructure).CPEC will build rails and roads infrastructure andinfrastructure development may decrease the povertyand increases the agriculture development in Pakistan(Ahmed & Mustafa, 2016). Most recent articleexamined the impact of CPEC impact on energy(energy consumption and energy saving potential) inthe prospect of Pakistan (Mirza, Fatima, Ullah, 2019).A latest study surveyed in Pakistan and their researchresults shows that entrepreneur’s attitude andintentions to China and Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) development is positive, it means CPECproject also designing an entrepreneurial environment(Kanwal et al., 2019).A large number of studies (Begum, etal., 2015; Ozturk,and Acaravci, 2010) have discussed various elementsand causes of CO2 emissions. Similarly, manyresearches (Khurshid, etal., 2018; Hadi, etal., 2018;Hussain, 2017; Hussain, 2015) on Pakistan-Chinarelations in the context of economy, society andgeopolitical point of view. Present study is aimed toinvestigate the CPEC development effects i.e. grossdomestic product (gdp), foreign direct investment (fdi),trade openness (top), energy consumption (enguse) onenvironmental pollution (CO2) in Pakistan usingFMOLS and DOLS methods.

Social-cultural impacts of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor on the well-being of local community

In this research, the impact of infrastructure improvement as a result of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative on the well-being and quality of life (QOL) of residents has been studied. Using the primary data collected from the local population of the Baluchistan province of Pakistan, a link between the socio-cultural effects of CPEC development and the subjective well-being of local citizens has been established. A total of 495 relevant responses were used to assess the well-being of the population through structural equation modeling. Results have shown that the social, cultural, and educational benefits of local communities are significant predictors of the well-being of citizens, and QOL issues have shown to have a major impact on the well-being of citizens. However, findings have also shown that the community resource has an important link with the subjective well-being of citizens. Furthermore, the results also give the local community perceptions of the CPEC initiative; hence the officials of the province can use the findings of this study to create prospective approaches based on the local community perceptions toward better exploitation of CPEC as an opportunity.

China-Pakistan economic corridor and its impact on rural development and human life sustainability. Observations from rural women.

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has become a "game-changer" not only for policymakers but also for common citizens of China and Pakistan because of its potential benefits in the economic prosperity and sustainable development in the lives of individuals. Recently, scholars have shown a great interest in researching the eminence of CPEC. Despite prodigious efforts of scholars, the question "how CPEC would influence living standards of rural women and what they perceive?" has been remained unanswered. The present study is the first attempt to unearth the perceptions of rural areas' women towards CPEC. We collected empirical evidence through a structured questionnaire from 302 educated rural women and interviewing 32 uneducated rural women. The following major conclusions are drawn through structural equation modeling via AMOS 21: the rural women significantly directly perceive new opportunities through CPEC; however, they perceive that the CPEC would not directly influence their quality of life and self-enhancement, but through the development of these rural areas. Rural development partially mediates the relationship between CPEC development and perceived opportunities while it fully mediates the relationships between CPEC development and quality of life as well as between CPEC development and self-enhancement. Policymakers need to emphasize on development of rural areas that would improve living standards of poor communities. The government needs to meet the expectations of poor communities and rural women to ensure their sustainable development.

The impacts of economic and environmental factors on sustainable mega project development: role of community satisfaction and social media.

This study examines the impacts of different economic, environmental, and social factors on sustainable China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) development in the context of the CPEC, a multi-billion-dollar mega project. By applying the social exchange theory, this study tested the relationship between economic and environmental impacts through community satisfaction on sustainable CPEC development. This study used social media use as moderator in the relationship between community satisfaction and sustainable CPEC development. The quantitative methods were applied in this study. The data were collected through an online survey from 254 residents along the CPEC route in Pakistan, and structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was applied for analysis. Results suggested that economic benefits are positively related with community satisfaction which is related with sustainable CPEC development; however, environmental impacts were not significant. Furthermore, social media use related to CPEC development moderated the relationship between community satisfaction and sustainable CPEC development. Findings of this study suggest how economic benefits and community satisfaction can enhance the reputation of sustainable CPEC development resulting in a positive image of this mega project in the minds of local population. Furthermore, positive impact of this mega project can be created by using effective social media policies.

Significance of CPEC in East Asia Countries & Its Impact on Pakistan Economy

In this research we deeply analyze the impact of CPEC in East Asian countries & effects on Pakistan Economy. In the meanwhile CPEC playing a vital role in the economy of Pakistan & it have very outstanding result in global perspective & especially East Asian countries. Formation of regional and global strategic movements around the world in present century has led to geo- strategic and geo-economical partnerships between countries. China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is one of the best examples of such partnerships. Time period launching the CPEC project consist of from 2014 to 2030.There are three phases for implementation of the projects under CPEC. The short-term, midterm- term and long-term projects are estimated to be completed by 2017,2025 and 2030 respectively. Developing new transport infrastructure, Gwadar Port Projects and several energy generating projects, are one of the main projects of CPEC, “All Weather Strategic Friendship” is therefore proved for Pakistan and China. China’s pilot project of “Belt and Road Initiative” is the key plan, which led to the development of CPEC. That will expected from CPEC minimizes the transportation cost of China by providing a shorter route for China’s trade to Persian Gulf and it will provide a solution to the energy shortfalls in Pakistan. Moreover, CPEC’s projected prospects of economic advancement, there are some economic, security and political threats in Pakistan. Hence, this paper provides a complete picture of previous researches on the planned subject and is not involving any data analysis as existing researches had used for analyzing a review of prospects and challenges.

China \u2013 Pakistan economic corridor: a harbinger of economic prosperity and regional peace

Provincial connectivity and growth are connected to visualization of mutual progress and economic development. This is the viewpoint behind the establishment of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Developing new transport infrastructure, Gwadar Port Projects and several energy generating projects, are one of the key projects of CPEC, “All Weather Strategic Friendship” is therefore proved for Pakistan and China. China’s pilot project of “Belt and Road Initiative” is the key plan, which led to the development of CPEC. It is expected from CPEC that it will reduce the transportation cost of China by providing a shorter route for China’s trade to Persian Gulf and it will provide a solution to the energy shortfalls in Pakistan. Moreover, CPEC’s projected prospects of economic advancement, there are some economic, security and political threats in Pakistan. This paper proposes to illuminate the significant Geo-strategic importance, opportunities and challenges for China Pakistan Economic Corridor, and it envisages to broaden the base, by including energy rich, Tajikistan economic role model Turkey and strategically located Iran. Hence, this paper provides a holistic view of previous researches on the planned subject and is not involving any data analysis as existing researches had used for analyzing a review of prospects and challenges.

Estimating 2009–2017 Impervious Surface Change in Gwadar, Pakistan Using the HJ-1A/B Constellation, GF-1/2 Data, and the Random Forest Algorithm

The China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative. At the end of the CPEC, the Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea is being built quickly, providing an important economical route for the flow of Central Asia’s natural resources to the world. Gwadar city is in a rapid urbanization process and will be developed as a modern, world-class port city in the near future. Therefore, monitoring the urbanization process of Gwadar at both high spatial and temporal resolution is vital for its urban planning, city ecosystem management, and the sustainable development of CPEC. The impervious surface percentage (ISP) is an essential quantitative indicator for the assessment of urban development. Through the integration of remote sensing images and ISP estimation models, ISP can be routinely and periodically estimated. However, due to clouds’ influence and spatial–temporal resolution trade-offs in sensor design, it is difficult to estimate the ISP with both high spatial resolution and dense temporal frequency from only one satellite sensor. In recent years, China has launched a series of Earth resource satellites, such as the HJ (Huangjing, which means environment in Chinese)-1A/B constellation, showing great application potential for rapid Earth surface mapping. This study employs the Random Forest (RF) method for a long-term and fine-scale ISP estimation and analysis of the city of Gwadar, based on the density in temporal and multi-source Chinese satellite images. In the method, high spatial resolution ISP reference data partially covering Gwadar city was first extracted from the 1–2 meter (m) GF (GaoFen, which means high spatial resolution in Chinese)-1/2 fused images. An RF retrieval model was then built based on the training samples extracted from ISP reference data and multi-temporal 30-m HJ-1A/B satellite images. Lastly, the model was used to generate the 30-m time series ISP from 2009 to 2017 for the whole city area based on the HJ-1A/B images. Results showed that the mean absolute error of the estimated ISP was 6.1–8.1% and that the root mean square error (RMSE) of the estimation results was 12.82–15.03%, indicating the consistently high performance of the model. This study highlights the feasibility and potential of using multi-source Chinese satellite images and an RF model to generate long-term ISP estimations for monitoring the urbanization process of the key node city in the CPEC.

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Its Influence on Perceived Economic and Social Goals: Implications for Social Policy Makers

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has initiated as a mega project by China and Pakistan to benefit economic growth and free trade. CPEC is in the initial stage, and policymakers and government officials consider CPEC as a “game-changer” for both the countries, as, potentially, it will generate numerous business and employment opportunities for local citizens as well as international outreach. Recently, a plethora of research has discussed both the macro as well as micro level advantages of CPEC, but has only been focused theoretically due to the emerging term. How beneficial the CPEC for a local community, and how it is perceived by the local people is not yet discussed by prior studies. This research fills the gap and examines the potential benefits of CPEC for local citizens of Pakistan. A mixed method approach was adopted to collect the data, as survey through structured questionnaire was conducted with a total of 445 citizens (323 male and 122 female), and a face-to-face interview with 32 citizens (28 male and four female) from the communities living along the CPEC routes. The findings show that, through the development of CPEC, local citizens perceive significant improvement in their lives, particularly the quality of life, better employment opportunities, and poverty reduction, while they have an insignificant perception about environmental protection and quality of education. This research recommends policy makers to build new educational institutions, encourage investors to invest in the industrial sector, and formulate environmental strategies to unleash maximum benefits of CPEC. Moreover, government official and policy makers may create awareness of CPEC projects and their benefits among the communities to get their support.