CPEC —- An open Invitation to India

Just a few days ago, the CPEC Joint Working Group (JWG) on International Cooperation and Coordination had a meeting during which it was decided to welcome any third party to benefit from avenues for “mutually beneficial” cooperation opened up by the multibillion-dollar project. While there was no direct signaling, the shift largely points toward the domestic affairs—which are not in a good shape in Pakistan—affecting the project once seen as a game changer, at least for Pakistan. The violence directed at the Chinese people associated with the CPEC, recently, apart from the stiff opposition from the people in Baluchistan—the area from which the major stretch of the CPEC passes through—has been delaying the execution of the project’s phase 2 with scores of projects stalled.
Concerning the economic situation of Pakistan, the CPEC has turned out to be a burden on the country as it continues to face political turmoil coupled with economic crises which are nothing new, apart from huge corruption. In other words, the expenditure on CPEC through Pakistan has turned out to be more of a curse for it as it has affected the country’s Current Account Deficit. Amid such a scenario, welcoming participation of any third party is aimed at shedding the burden of Pakistan, which again is going to be a favor to it from its all-weather friend, China. But what remains a stirring question is if this open invitation is addressed to India, because both countries cannot ignore their giant neighbor.
Through CPEC, China is aiming to establish a modern silk route that would connect South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. While that sounds exciting, this network of infrastructure would also provide China with access to the Indian Ocean as it is aiming to revive the Gwadar port, something which is just planned and will not go well with India which has already expressed concerns over China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). No doubt there would be an economic boom due to the CPEC, what can be said is that Pakistan has turned out weak enough to hold the weight of CPEC which has great prospects of transforming its economy, however, the willingness of accommodating a third party seems to be aimed at, first, India and then the countries that do not have any strategic interests related with the CPEC—with none named.
It is also a fact that despite tensions along LAC, there has been an increase in the trade between India and China, and in the same way, India could participate in the CPEC, putting aside its concerns, but then it might ask for changes which will not be possible and would not serve the objectives of China which would want it to go as per the plan. The invitation could very well be for the parties with money, but not for those with strategic aims and objectives as was done in 2018 when Pakistan invited Saudi Arabia to become a part of the CPEC. Now that the invitation has come from both China as well as Pakistan, without a name, the same is surely not going to turn out to be “mutually beneficial” at all. The new entrant, if any, is going to be an outlier.