Last year I also wrote a column on CPEC in the same newspaper on the same pages. Circumstances have changed a great deal since then. Today the fundamental question remains whether Pakistan will view this historic opportunity merely as an infrastructure project or will try to understand it in the wider context of its economy, regional connectivity and the changing global politics.The progress made between Pakistan and China on 17 September 2026 holds particular significance in this regard.
Both countries have formally activated the Boundary Joint Commission for the management of their common border. Its inaugural meeting was held in Islamabad on 16 and 17 September, in which matters such as border management, joint surveys, the movement of goods and people, trade facilitation and mutual connectivity were discussed.
This commission had been established under the 2013 border management agreement, but it has now been given a practical shape.On the same occasion, near Khunjerab, at Mintaka Pass, at an altitude of approximately 4,700 metres, the border forces of Pakistan and China also conducted a joint patrol. This is not merely a symbolic exercise; it also contains a practical aspect of border surveillance, coordination and mutual assistance. A joint patrol exercise had already been conducted at Khunjerab in May 2026 as well.
This progress is important because the basic concept of CPEC is not merely roads, power stations and ports but connectivity, and connectivity is never complete without security. Chinese President Xi Jinping, during his meeting with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in September 2025, had stressed the need for a secure environment for Chinese personnel, projects and institutions along with the construction of CPEC 2.0.
In the joint statement of May 2026, Pakistan pledged further measures for the security of Chinese personnel and projects, while China expressed readiness to enhance security partnership and counter-terrorism cooperation under the Global Security Initiative.The Afghanistan issue also remains important. Large-scale tensions decreased in September, yet Islamabad continues to demand that Afghan soil not be used for terrorism against Pakistan.
The Foreign Office made clear on 17 September that cooperation from Kabul could open borders, restore trade and turn Afghanistan into a regional connectivity hub. Thus Afghanistan is not merely a security concern but a potential gateway for regional trade. Durable peace could integrate Gwadar, Khunjerab and land routes into a larger economic map — the real significance of CPEC 2.0.The progress made regarding CPEC in 2026 also points towards this change.
In August, at the 91st CPEC Review Meeting, the acceleration of implementation on the five corridors — Growth, Livelihood, Innovation, Green Development and Regional Connectivity — was discussed, while at the 92nd review meeting on 31 August emphasis was laid on linking CPEC Phase II with industry, agriculture, minerals, technology, human resources and business-to-business cooperation. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s visit to China in May 2026 also advanced the same direction. Both countries agreed on the next stage of CPEC 2.0, making Gwadar a regional connectivity hub, improving land connectivity through Khunjerab, and the phased improvement of important sections of the Karakoram Highway.
But this entire picture cannot be viewed in isolation from today’s global scenario. The ongoing crisis in the Middle East, the threats to trade routes in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, and the fluctuations in oil prices have once again made the world realise how great a strategic necessity secure routes are. In September oil prices rose above 100 dollars per barrel, and the obstacles in Hormuz and other sea routes further increased concerns about global trade and inflation.In this very crisis China’s role is also noteworthy. On 16 September Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beijing and urged America and Iran to reduce tensions, resume negotiations and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
On 17 September Wang Yi also spoke with American Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This makes it clear that China is no longer merely an East Asian power; its economic interests and diplomatic relations have spread from the Middle East to South and Central Asia.Here a big question arises: will CPEC remain merely an economic project for Pakistan in this changing world, or can it become a wider regional connectivity platform? Time will still give the answer, because the full commercial capacity of Gwadar, land links, investment and, above all, several requirements of security still remain. However, the present progress certainly shows that it would not be correct to regard this project merely as a list of past projects.
The real fact is that China itself is increasing its influence as a global power, America and other major countries are also including this change in their own strategic calculations, and Pakistan stands geographically right in the middle of these changes.
Therefore the first requirement for the success of CPEC is perhaps peace even before a road or a port. The day an environment is created in Pakistan, Afghanistan and the wider region where trade is given more importance than the gun, borders become a symbol of connection instead of conflict, and the investor has confidence in security — that day the original concept of CPEC will attain its full meaning
.The world is at present passing through a difficult period of war, energy crisis, inflation and supply-chain disruption. In such times those regions that can make peace, trade and connectivity their future will acquire extraordinary importance in the coming years.
For Pakistan the question is not merely how much capital China invests in CPEC; the real question is with how much seriousness, how much wisdom and how much internal stability Pakistan itself converts this geographical opportunity into economic power.The story of CPEC is not yet finished. Perhaps its most important chapter is now beginning.__The Lahore-based writer is a senior journalist, analyst, researcher and author of over 50 books.”
