Post-COVID challenges to the China-Pakistan economic corridor: A power transition theory

Abstract

This research examines the post-COVID challenges faced by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a prominent project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The literature on this topic has identified various challenges, including militant attacks and reservations from regional and external powers, such as the US and India. Reviewing the existing literature, we find that there is a need for more theoretical rigor to fully understand the reasons behind the difficulties encountered by the CPEC project. We intend to fill this theoretical gap with the help of power transition theory from both the perspectives of global hierarchy and regional hierarchy. The study locates that as China tightens the power gap pertaining to the United States and enhances collaboration via CPEC with Pakistan, India locates itself in a safety issue. The study likewise discovers that various other obstacles to CPEC come from Pakistan’s lack of reforms and safety laps, which exacerbate these obstacles.