[20] CPEC envisages rapidly upgrading Pakistan's infrastructure and thereby strengthening its economy by constructing modern transportation networks, numerous energy projects, and special economic zones.

[21][22][23][24] The potential industries being set up in the CPEC special economic zones include food processing, cooking oil, ceramics, gems and jewelry, marble, minerals, agriculture machinery, iron and steel, motorbike assembling, electrical appliances, and automobiles.

[25] Plans for a corridor stretching from the Chinese border to Pakistan's deepwater ports on the Arabian Sea date back to the 1950s and motivated the construction of the Karakoram Highway beginning in 1959.

Expansion of Gwadar Port then ceased due to political instability in Pakistan following the fall of General Pervez Musharraf and the subsequent conflict between the Pakistani state and Taliban militants.

Although China and Pakistan signed the official MoUs in 2015, the first details of the long-term plan under CPEC were publicly disclosed in 2017 when a Pakistani media outlet revealed access to the original documents.

[41] Modern transportation networks built under CPEC will link seaports in Gwadar and Karachi with northern Pakistan, as well as points further north in western China and Central Asia.

[74] Gwadar gained strategic importance after the Kargil War when Pakistan recognized the need for a military naval port, leading to the construction of the Karachi-Gwadar Coastal Highway for defense purposes.

[114] As part of the Eastern Alignment, a 1,152-kilometer-long motorway will connect Pakistan's two largest cities, Karachi and Lahore, with a 6-lane controlled access highway designed for travel speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour.

Upgrade and construction work on this section, currently known as the Super Highway between Karachi and Hyderabad, began in March 2015 and aimed to convert the road into the 6-lane controlled access M9 Motorway, which was completed in approximately 30 months.

The CPEC plan also includes completing a rail link over the 4,693-meter high Khunjerab Pass, providing direct access for Chinese and East Asian goods to Pakistani seaports at Karachi and Gwadar by 2030.

[157] The procurement of 250 new passenger coaches and the reconstruction of 21 train stations are also planned as part of the first phase of the project, bringing the total investment in Pakistan's railway system to approximately $5 billion by the end of 2019.

[184] SK Hydro Consortium is constructing the 870 MW Suki Kinari Hydropower Project in the Kaghan Valley of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province at a cost of $1.8 billion,[185] with financing from China's EXIM Bank.

[188]: 221–222 Pakistan and China have also discussed including the 4,500 MW, $14 billion Diamer-Bhasha Dam as part of the CPEC project,[189] though as of December 2015, no firm decision has been made, although Pakistani officials remain optimistic about its eventual inclusion.

[240] The park will be situated on 500 hectares, which will be provided by Pakistan to China's Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, with all investments expected to come from the Chinese side over the course of ten years.

[196] CPEC includes the establishment of a pilot project for Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast for Pakistan Television Corporation through a Chinese grant at the Rebroadcast Station (RBS) in Murree.

[288] The CPEC project aims to allow Chinese energy imports to bypass these contentious areas, offering an alternative route through the west and potentially reducing the likelihood of confrontation between the United States and China.

These connections complement the CPEC project by offering Central Asian states access to Pakistan's deepwater ports, effectively bypassing Afghanistan, which has been plagued by civil war and political instability since the late 1970s.

[314] The two countries also signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the possibility of establishing an aluminum smelter at a cost of $2 billion,[citation needed] as well as a urea processing facility in Chabahar,[315] though these investments are also contingent upon Iran providing low-cost natural gas for their operation.

"[326] In July 2020, Pakistani media outlet The News International reported that the Iranian government had removed India from a long-stalled rail project, opting instead to sign a comprehensive deal with China.

Chinese intelligence agencies have reportedly shared information with Pakistani authorities regarding alleged efforts by India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) to undermine CPEC.

Additionally, crime, extortion, kidnapping, armed conflict, terrorist attacks, extremism, civil unrest, nationwide strikes, protests, riots, and mass expropriations pose significant obstacles to the timely and successful completion of projects.

Beijing-based military analysts and high-ranking officials have highlighted the geostrategic importance of Gwadar Port, hinting at the need for a naval base similar to the one China established in Djibouti.

[449] Many of the nations China has partnered with have a history of political instability, military intervention in governance, problems of law and order, rampant corruption, lack of transparency, and limited entrepreneurial culture.

Citing examples from Malaysia to Colombia involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, the opacity[29] of Chinese ventures has led to accusations that such projects foster corruption and mismanagement, risking the natural resources and sovereignty of participating nations.

[456] Nevertheless, officials argue that 3.5% of Pakistani GDP is lost annually due to poor transportation networks, which the CPEC investment aims to improve, thereby offsetting any potential lag in Pakistan's growth statistics.

[350] The region is rich in minerals, but this wealth is not reflected in the lives of its impoverished residents,[469] who struggle with basic necessities such as clean drinking water, reliable power supply, education, and healthcare.

"[474] Burzine Waghmar, a member of the Centre for the Study of Pakistan at SOAS, University of London, suggested that CPEC projects are not targeted towards benefiting the indigenous Baloch population and will accelerate human rights violations in the province.

The head of Gwadar's local fishermen's association stated in an interview with NBC News, "Development is good, China is our great friend, this CPEC thing sounds amazing, but don't forget that this is our land, first.

[488] India's objections to Chinese activity in Pakistan-administered Kashmir date back to the 1970s, when the People's Liberation Army built the Karakoram Highway, linking China's far-western province of Xinjiang with northern Pakistan.

India even maintained that the Wullar Barrage project in Indian-administered Kashmir, which Pakistan regards as a violation of the Indus Water Treaty, would ultimately be beneficial for the Mangla Dam.