Under its One Belt, One Road (OBOR) policy, China is pursuing projects in Pakistan that would decrease Beijing’s reliance on strategic choke points, says a Pentagon report released on Wednesday.

The 2020 Pentagon report on China’s military power also shows that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has surpassed the US military in terms of navy size, land-based missiles and advanced air defence systems.

A chapter on Beijing’s economic policies notes that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects focus on pipelines and port construction that would “decrease China’s reliance on transporting energy resources through strategic choke points, such as the Strait of Malacca”.

Launched in 2013, OBOR seeks to foster closer economic integration with countries along China’s periphery and beyond, thereby shaping these countries’ interests to align with Beijing’s, the report adds.

The report notes that OBOR also seeks to promote regional stability to repel criticism over China’s approach to issues it views as sensitive.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1577634/cpec-aimed-at-decreasing-chinas-reliance-on-strategic-chokeholds-pentagon