QUESTION 9
GS3
10 marks
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is viewed as a cardinal subset of China’s larger ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative. Give a brief description of CPEC and enumerate the reasons why India has distanced itself from the same.
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Describe CPEC briefly and list why India keeps away from it and the wider BRI.
Describe + EnumerateGive a clear, detailed account of the main features. List the points, each with a one-line explanation.
Demand-wise check
- 1Description: launched 2015; links Kashgar (Xinjiang) to Gwadar port; roads, rail, pipelines, power plants, special economic zones≈30 words
- 2Sovereignty: passes through Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir≈30 words
- 3Strategic: Gwadar near the Strait of Hormuz, China's presence in the Arabian Sea, encirclement≈30 words
- 4Process and debt: lack of transparency, debt sustainability, no consultation≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
CPEC descriptionLink to BRIIndia's reasons (sovereignty, strategic, debt)India's alternativesConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Long description of CPEC with little on India's reasons
- Missing the sovereignty argument
Draw this
- Sketch map: Kashgar → Khunjerab → Gilgit-Baltistan → Islamabad → Gwadar
Value addition
- DataCPEC was announced at about $46 billion in 2015, later cited at about $62 billion.Government of Pakistan
- StatementIndia skipped the Belt and Road Forum (May 2017), saying connectivity must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity.MEA statement, 13 May 2017
- CaseSri Lanka leased Hambantota port to a Chinese firm for 99 years in 2017 over debt.2017
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 7 minutes, then get it checked.