China may pull back from Gwadar port over security risks, report says

Foreign-published assessments suggest China may pull back from Gwadar port, the deep-water facility on Balochistan's Arabian Sea coast that is one of the most visible projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), because of security risks and weak economic returns.

FM Bharat reported that China is likely to retreat from Gwadar port amid what it described as huge security risks and economic headwinds, citing a report it did not make fully available. Separately, the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, concluded in an analysis that China's Gwadar gamble is not paying off.

Neither outlet provided the full text of its assessment, and the available material did not specify the scale, timing or evidence behind any possible Chinese withdrawal. Skardu Times could not independently verify the claims. No Pakistani official or department has commented on the reports.

Gwadar has for years been promoted as the pivot of CPEC, the multibillion-dollar corridor linking western China to Pakistani ports. The port is operated by China Overseas Port Holding Company. Chinese workers and installations in Balochistan have repeatedly been targeted by armed attacks, and shipping traffic through the port has remained below early projections.

In recent years, armed groups in Balochistan have carried out attacks in Gwadar and elsewhere in the province, targeting Chinese workers and port-related facilities. These attacks have led to periodic suspensions of work and higher security costs for Chinese firms. The available reports did not link any single incident to the possible retreat.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor encompasses roads, railways, power plants and the Gwadar port. In Balochistan, armed groups have claimed attacks on Chinese interests, which have raised costs and forced periods of reduced activity. The security situation has long been cited by analysts as a factor in the slow development of Gwadar.

The reports arrive as Islamabad continues to seek foreign investment and as federal ministers have described CPEC as central to the country's development plans. Chinese officials have previously defended the corridor's long-term potential, though no fresh comment was available in the material reviewed.

In the absence of the full reports, the precise evidence behind the conclusion that China may retreat could not be examined. The Lowy Institute's assessment is contained in a headline noting that China's Gwadar gamble isn't paying off. FM Bharat's report likewise offered only a headline and standfirst, referring to a report without naming its author or institution.

The story will be updated when the full analysis becomes available.