Liu Jianchao, Minister of International Affairs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, visited Pakistan with a high-level Chinese delegation. At the meeting of the Joint Consultative Mechanism Forum, where representatives of all major political parties of Pakistan participated, he described security as the biggest challenge for the future of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and emphasized the need to improve the security situation for investment.
In recent years, Baloch pro-independence armed groups have extensively targeted the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Chinese projects in Pakistan. In March, the Baloch Liberation Army launched an attack on the Port Authority Complex in Gwadar’s most secure area that lasted several hours, while a suicide attack targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers in Bisham, Pakhtunkhwa, killing five engineers.
The attacks by armed groups fighting for the independence of Balochistan are part of a larger trend aimed at influencing the economic interests of China and Pakistan. These continuous attacks have significantly affected the continuity of Chinese projects, slowing down the progress of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in recent years.
Top officials of the Chinese Communist government have continuously urged Pakistan to eliminate the forces opposed to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor through a major military operation. However, Pakistan has failed to achieve the desired results through military aggression in Balochistan for two decades.
The problem of Balochistan is a political issue that cannot be resolved with military aggression. Without granting Baloch national rights, including the right to freedom, the Baloch insurgency will continue. Consequently, the chances of China’s economic projects in Balochistan succeeding are less likely.