CPEC and Emerging Challenges at LAC | 06 Jun 2024

Source: ET

Why in News?

Following their co-chairing of the fifth Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue, the two leaders expressed their commitment to continue supporting each other on matters of core interest including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

• In a separate event, China has deployed advanced J-20 stealth fighters at a Tibetan airfield near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), as part of its strategy to bolster its military presence amid ongoing tensions.

What is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)?

• About:
  • The CPEC is a major infrastructure and development project.
    • With a USD 50 billion investment in Pakistan, CPEC forms a crucial part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, aiming to establish a 3,000 km infrastructure link between Gwadar and Karachi ports in Pakistan and China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
  • China-Pakistan plans to accelerate various projects under CPEC, including the Gwadar Port development, and the Karakorum Highway.
• Opposition to CPCE:
  • India opposes the CPEC as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK) which is an integral part of India.
  • Civilians in Pakistan's Balochistan province have also opposed the CPEC project, citing systematic abuses and suppression of basic freedoms.

Deployment of J-20 Stealth Fighters near LAC by China

• Satellite imagery have shown six J-20 fighters at the airfield along with ground crew and support equipment.
  • China has also upgraded several airfields in the region, including Hotan, Kashgar, and Gargunsa, among others, by extending runways, building shelters, and storage facilities.
  • China's deployment of J-20s is seen as an attempt to offset India's air combat advantage in the region, given India's possession of Rafale jets and other advanced aircraft.
• The Shigatse dual-use airport, located merely 155 km from the LAC and close to Doklam, holds strategic importance for China in the eastern sector facing India.
• India, in response, has Sukhoi-30MKI fighters deployed in the eastern sector, along with a squadron of Rafale jets stationed at the Hasimara air base in West Bengal.