China has created an alternative to the existing maritime order for moving goods across

continents through its ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative. Trade conducted through the Silk
Route is likely to reduce the ability of the US to control international trade. The 3,000-km
long CPEC consisting of highways, railways and pipelines connects China’s landlocked north-
western province of Xinjiang to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port. CPEC is not restricted to Pakistan. It
is a project under the Chinese vision of ‘One Belt One Road’ that will link 64 countries
including Pakistan.

If India joins CPEC, it will facilitate $70 billion worth of bilateral trade between India and
China.

The warm water port of Gwadar near the Persian Gulf is the entry point to CPEC where
Pakistan and China have developed close naval cooperation. On the other end, the Chinese
province of Xinjiang is Eurasia’s axle that borders Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Kazakhstan, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi is
emerging as a hub for China-Europe cargo trains. During the last two years, more than 328
freight trains left Urumqi to Europe and Central Asia.