A little more than two years after Xi Jinping’s visit to Pakistan, which marked the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and in the wake of the Belt and Road Forum held in Beijing on 14-15 May 2017, it is an ideal time to provide a preliminary assessment of CPEC’s implications for Pakistan’s domestic politics as well as for the country’s geopolitical posture. With its $55 billion overall investment, CPEC represents the flagship project of China’s Maritime Silk Route initiative, aimed at the construction of ports, infrastructure, as well as road and rail connectivity in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. What has been CPEC’s impact so far? According to a recent report by the International Monetary Fund, CPEC is going to boost investment in Pakistan’s economy and there is general optimism in the country about the positive changes that CPEC would bring about.
