Gwadar

Gwadar

Gwadar is a port town on the Arabian Sea, strategically located between the oil rich Middle East, populated South Asia, and resource laden Central Asia. It is located in Pakistan, and has a large port, which was built on a turnkey basis by China. Opened in spring 2007 by then Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, in the presence of Chinese Communications Minister Li Shenglin, Gwadar Port is now being expanded into a naval base with Chinese technical and financial assistance. The port city signifies the increasing power China wields in the region. Gwadar’s strategic value is no less than that of the Karakoram Highway, which helped strengthen the China-Pakistan relationship. In addition to Gwadar serving as a potential Chinese naval anchor, Beijing is also interested in turning it into an energy-transport hub by building an oil pipeline from Gwadar into Chinese-ruled Xinjiang (East Turkestan).

The Chinese, as part of their “string of pearls” policy of having suitable bases in the Indian Ocean Region, not only helped Pakistan to build the Gwadar port, but provided all the funding. Some 180 kilometres from the exit of the strategic Straits of Hormuz, this port will enable Chinese oil tanker ships to offload crude oil from West Asia at this port. From Gwadar, a proposed rail, road and pipeline will transport oil and other goods to China, thus avoiding the Malacca and Singapore straits which can be closed during wartime or are vulnerable to piracy. Of the $248 million spent on the first phase at Gwadar, $198 million came from the People's Republic of China. China is also helping finance the next phase, and is keen on investing in rail and road connections. This Pakistan-China connection is strategically detrimental towards India. It establishes a relationship between Pakistan, India's bitter rival, and China, a country India has shared a rocky past with.