The history of the relationship between China and Pakistan within the context of energy corridors establishment

China and Pakistan established diplomatic relationship in 1951. Further the parties support each other in the confrontation with India. The permanent interaction between countries has begun. The nearness of the countries and the understanding of the strategic importance of Pakistan's location helped the PRC to play a key role in the infrastructural projects in Pakistan, especially in the construction of Gwadar port, and to become the most significant and stable partner of Pakistan. Pakistan was going to make Gwadar a port since 1964, but the construction did not start due to the lack of funds. Gwadar was planned as the alternative to the ports of the Persian Gulf for operating the multitonnage tankers and the merchant ships. The actions connected with the port's construction started only in 2001 when China agreed to take a part in the project. Without the presence of the marine China felt vulnerable to threats to the safety of its energy supplies. For China and Pakistan the most important is the geopolitical location of Gwadar. It is situated at the intersection of the main sea lines of communication. This location provides the necessary closeness to the Middle East energy resources and gives an opportunity to monitor the situation in the region. A broad transport network, including the railway linking Gwadar with the main railway lines, is created for the development of Gwadar infrastructure and its connection with the whole Pakistan and neighbor countries. China and Pakistan are also connected by the Karakoram Highway leading from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region through Kashmir to Islamabad. This corridor could be used for trading and transportation of energy from Persian Gulf countries to Xinjiang. In general China has invested around $15 billion into the Balochistan's development. The resource-rich region of Pakistan, Balochistan, is the largest, low-populated and the most undeveloped province from the four Pakistani provinces. Balochistan's specificity is nationalism aimed not only against the government and military forces, but also against the clergy. All projects directed to the development of Balochistan have an essential political and economic significance for Pakistan. It is important for the PRC to provide the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and northwest provinces with the access to the sea and boost their trade volume. Gwadar provides the access to the oil and gas market of Central Asia states for China and Pakistan, also promotes the development of the Chinese-Pakistani trade and the internal trade in Pakistan. Gwadar can be called the most substantial project in the history of China- Pakistan relationship. It is an infrastructural base for the consolidation and further progress of the economic, political and military cooperation between China and Pakistan.

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