Road and Railway Network...
The B&R will enhance geographical linkages by providing improved road, rail and air transportation systems, facilitating people-to-people contact.
This should stimulate academic, cultural and regional knowledge and cultural exchanges, increase the volumes of trade and business, and facilitate energy generation and transfer. These changes will, ideally, optimize the business environment and enhance mutual cooperation. The B&R’s promoters argue that
at this ‘win-win’ model will result in a well-connected, integrated region of shared destiny, harmony and development.
The CPEC is aimed at creating economic regionalisation in a globalized world. Its promoters see it as providing hope of future regional improvement with peace,development and economic growth Political economist Asad Abbasi1 has looked at the benefits that China expects for itself. ‘For Pakistan, CPEC might represent “prosperity”, “unity”, etc., but for China it is just one small part of Yi Dai Yi Lu. This is usually translated into English as “One Belt One Road” (OBOR) but according to Tim Summers, senior consulting fellow at Chatham House, the English translation fails to convey the dynamic meaning that the phrase encapsulates.
Yi Dai Yi Lu conjures up two different epochs of Chinese history: Silk Road of Tang Dynasty (618–906 AD) and modern silk maritime trade routes from coastal China. The aim of the project is to connect China with 65 countries in Asia and Europe. China estimates that OBOR will add $2.5 trillion to its trade over the next decade’ (Abbasi 2016).
To summarize, the four key pillars of CPEC include investments in the areas.
Favored by geography, Pakistan is positioned as a bridge between the
landmass that is home to the Silk Road Economic Belt, and the
Sea, which is an essential link in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Route.
