A Bogus Asian Pearl
By Lieutenant Colonel Daniel J. Kostecka, U.S. Air Force Reserve
If closely assayed, the port at Gwadar, Pakistan—touted as part of China’s string of maritime gems—loses its luster, looking more like a counterfeit than the real thing.
China’s investment in the construction of the Port of Gwadar in western Pakistan has fueled speculation for nearly a decade that the Pakistani port is a keystone of China’s political, economic, and military ambitions in the Indian Ocean—similar to Singapore’s position in Southeast Asia at the height of the British Empire. 1 Coupled with investment in Gwadar is the possible construction of a 1,500-mile oil pipeline running from the port to western China, which ostensibly would reduce China’s dependency on vulnerable oil imports transported through the Strait of Malacca.
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