China Needs Pakistan for Karakoram Corridor, Not Oil
A Geography Now report says the high-altitude route through Gilgit-Baltistan, not oil, drives China's engagement with Pakistan.
A report published by Geography Now on MSN argues that China's need for Pakistan is not about oil but about a high-altitude transport corridor that includes the Karakoram Highway, according to the headline and standfirst of the piece.
The outlet's standfirst states that at first glance the relationship between China and Pakistan appears to be about trade or politics, but the real reason "goes much deeper." It describes a single high-altitude corridor, including the Karakoram Highway, that connects China to the: the sentence is cut off in the available material.
The Karakoram Highway runs through Gilgit-Baltistan, crossing into China at the Khunjerab Pass, one of the highest paved border crossings in the world. The road is a central part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which links Kashgar in Xinjiang with Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea. Analysts have long noted that the route gives China a shorter overland connection to the Indian Ocean, reducing dependence on the Strait of Malacca.
The Karakoram Highway, often called the eighth wonder of the world, was built jointly by Pakistan and China and completed in 1979. It stretches about 1,300 kilometres from Hasan Abdal in Punjab to the Khunjerab Pass, traversing some of the highest mountain ranges on earth. The highway is a lifeline for Gilgit-Baltistan, carrying goods and passengers through valleys that were once accessible only by foot or mule track. In recent years, upgrades under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor have widened portions of the road and added tunnels to reduce travel time, particularly in winter when landslides and snow block the route.
The Geography Now report, hosted on MSN, did not provide the full text in the search result. Skardu Times could only retrieve the headline and standfirst. No additional details, such as specific data, official statements or the destination the corridor is said to connect to, were available.
Skardu Times will update this report if the full analysis becomes available.
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