Was ist mit ‚Pakistans Dubai‘ schief gelaufen? – In der chinesischen Initiative, die Terroranschläge veranlasst

**SS**: Pakistan’s Dubai in the port city of Gwadar in restive Balochistan province has been met with slow progress and apprehension.

An opening ceremony for the new Chinese-paid airport was not attended by any Chinese counterparts of the senior Pakistani government and military figures despite draconian security lockdowns in the region.

The airport is part of a series of new infrastructure developments, among them the already completed port has underperformed and [‚processes almost no cargo‘](https://www.dw.com/en/pakistans-gwadar-port-shows-chinas-belt-and-road-can-fail/a-68992914). Out of the small revenue only 10% goes to the Pakistani government with 90% going to China and Balochistan province receiving nothing. This has increased unrest as well as militancy in the province as a result:

>Among the projects in Gwadar that have been met with local distaste is a donkey slaughtering factory – not yet operational – where up to a million donkeys imported from Africa are to be killed to harvest products, including an ingredient used in traditional Chinese medicine.

>Access to the sea has also become restricted around Gwadar’s deepwater port, which sends 90% of its profits to its Chinese operator. Local fishers say they can barely survive because they are no longer allowed to freely sail, and have had their boats raided by security forces while out fishing.

>“We have lost the entire sea,” said 70-year-old fisher Dad Karim. “When we go fishing, it feels like we are going there as thieves and hiding ourselves. The sea or ocean does not belong to the fishermen any more – it belongs to the Chinese.”

>The security of Chinese workers has become such a severe stumbling block for CPEC that Chinese officials said Phase II of the project still had not begun, and that some of the 26 projects still in the pipeline may be scaled back from original ambitions. China has pulled out swathes of its workforce from Pakistan, and any arrival of Chinese personnel into Gwadar now prompts a military-grade security shutdown.

The Chinese accuse Pakistan of unrealistic expectations around the project and have voiced concern about security developments:

>Shengjie accused the Pakistani government of using “false rhetoric” around CPEC projects, which had given unrealistic expectations to locals. “We don’t work in rhetoric like Pakistan – we just focus on development,” he said. “If this kind of security situation persists, it will hamper development.”

>Analysts put some of CPEC’s biggest economic and security failures at the door of Pakistan, where policymakers had pushed the Chinese for projects that made little economic sense and did not do the necessary accompanying infrastructure upgrades, meaning citizens have struggled to see the benefits of Chinese investment in power and water.