The ports of contention
The two ports less than one hundred kilometers apart on the coast of the Arabian Sea have become a focal point in the changing regional geopolitics. The recently commissioned Iranian sea port of Chabahar developed by India is seen as a rival for Pakistan’s Gwadar Port, which is the flagship project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and a nodal part of Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road initiative.
Iranian leaders have tried to dispel the perception of Chabahar being developed to rival the Pakistani port. While inaugurating the port, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani declared that his country was looking forward to “positive competition.” Iranian officials also claim that the two ports could complement each other.
But given the rising hostility between India and Pakistan and India-China rivalry, the situation does not appear that simple. Pakistani officials are mainly concerned about the emerging Indian-Iranian nexus that could allow New Delhi to reinforce its foothold in the region. Meanwhile, India also plans to build a US$1.6 billion rail line from Chabahar to Zahedan that would provide the South Asian nation access to Central Asia through Afghanistan.
Gwadar, a deep sea port in Pakistan’s western province of Balochistan, is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea. By virtue of their geographical locations, both Gwadar and Chabahar provide the shortest routes to the Arabian Sea. It is the main reason for the two countries to develop ports and infrastructure connecting them to the Central Asian Region (CAR). Apart from oil and gas, the ports promote trade in commodities like cotton, routed through Russia, Middle East, East Asia and South Asia.
While Gwadar’s natural layout and depth enable the largest ships to dock there, both Chabahar and Dubai lack these advantages. The maximum planned capacity of Chabahar is 10 million to 12 million tons per annum, compared to Gwadar which will have the capacity of 300 million to 400 million tons once it is fully operational.
Gwadar has also assumed much greater geostrategic importance with the launching of the CPEC projects. This multibillion-dollar investment program has added a new dimension to the friendship between Pakistan and China. From a purely strategic and security cooperation spanning over more than five decades, the relationship has now evolved into a dynamic economic and commercial partnership as well.
Regional connectivity remains high on Pakistan’s growth policy as its strategic location offers a unique opportunity to connect South, West and Central Asia.
Zahid Hussain
This growing bilateral cooperation comes at a time of China’s rising geopolitical ambition, and underscores Beijing’s concerns about Pakistan’s security and its fledgling economy. Given its geostrategic position, Pakistan has the potential to serve as a nexus for the two routes - the continental Eurasian “Silk Road Economic Belt” and a Southeast Asian “Maritime Silk Road”.
Eventually, the CPEC will also facilitate trade along an overland route that connects China to the Indian Ocean, linking the Chinese city of Kashgar to Gwadar port. Regional connectivity remains high on Pakistan’s growth policy as its strategic location offers a unique opportunity to connect South, West and Central Asia. Gwadar port, a pivot around the entire project, was constructed in early 2000 and a Chinese company has been running it since 2012 after the previous government handed over control.
Although Beijing downplays its geostrategic motivations, the CPEC represents an international extension of China’s effort to deliver security through economic development. This growing Sino-Pak strategic alliance has also exposed the regional geopolitical fault lines.
There is growing Indian and US concern that Gwadar could be used by China as a naval base. The apprehension may be exaggerated but it nevertheless has contributed to regional tension.
Some Pakistani security experts believe that India’s main objective in developing Chabahar port is to counter Gwadar in addition to getting access to Afghanistan and Central Asian markets. India has plans to invest $500 million in the project and secure two berths there as well as develop economic zones eventually. New Delhi needs to keep promoting Chabahar as a strategic port on the Arabian coast as it addresses both the ease of trading as well as India’s security needs in the region.
Having no common borders with Afghanistan, India could not get a trade route to it through Pakistan in the past because of tension between the two neighbors, so it has great expectations from the launching of Chabahar.
Indeed, the two ports could be complementary. But geopolitical rivalries may prevent regional cooperation which is needed in order for the countries to benefit from it.
• Zahid Hussain is an award-winning journalist and author. He is a former scholar at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington DC, and a visiting fellow at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, and at the Stimson Center in Washington DC. Twitter: @hidhussain
