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Technical Note

Educator Copy

THE SECURITY DIMENSION OF THE BELT AND ROAD: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THREATS TO CHINESE NATIONALS AND BUSINESSES IN PAKISTAN

Jawad Syed


INDUSTRY : Security

AREA : Business Government/International Economy

ORGANIZATION : CPEC

LENGTH : 14

LUMS No : 16-315-2018-2

PUBLICATION YEAR : 2018

DESCRIPTION

KEYWORDS:

CPEC, security, China, security policy, violence, terrorism, BRI, belt and road initiative


DESCRIPTION:

China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has tremendous potential to transform regional dynamics in terms of socio-economic development, trade and politics. However, this is unfolding against the backdrop of looming security threats in Pakistan. Internally, these threats come from extremist Islamist and ethnocentric groups in Pakistan. Externally, some foreign powers are alleged to be involved in trying to sabotage CPEC. These threats are real in terms of incidents of violence against Chinese individuals and businesses, and given the strategic and economic importance of CPEC for both China and Pakistan, deserve an urgent policy response in terms of strategic security of CPEC. Such response may address issues of physical security and ideological security. The current approach by Pakistani government is, in the main, focused on physical security and protective intelligence with limited or no attention to ideological roots of violence. In this note, a critical overview of security threats facing China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Pakistan is offered. With a focus on the CPEC, the note presents a comprehensive account of attacks on Chinese nationals and businesses from 2001 to 2017. This ongoing threat has increased the Chinese concerns about CPEC's security. The note identifies Takfiri Islamists or Khawarij (Taliban and affiliates) and ethnic Baloch separatists as two major groups posing a threat to CPEC. The analysis demonstrates that the much-publicised socio-economic benefits of CPEC may not be fully realised unless both forms of militancy are addressed through a multipronged security policy. The note may guide government and security officials and policy makers in Pakistan and China to direct their attention to the two main sources of violence which pose a threat to BRI in Pakistan. It may also help readers to understand the security aspects and requirements of engaging with or employing Chinese individuals and businesses in Pakistan.


LEARNING OBJECTIVES:


SUBJECTS COVERED:

Business Government