Chinese investments face security threats in Pak: Book

China's multi-billion dollar investments in Pakistan face serious security threats even though the Pakistani government has assured special military unit protection to Chinese experts, according to a new book released here today.
"Although both Chinese and Pakistani leaders like to refer to their two countries' close relationship as 'higher than the Karakorams, deeper than the oceans and sweeter than honey,' our collected data shows that Pakistan has been the most dangerous country for travelling Chinese nationals, with at least 12 Chinese killed in 11 separate attacks," said Jonas Parello-Plesner and Mathieu Duchatel in their book 'China's Strong Arm - Protecting Citizens and Assets Abroad.'

"Separatists in Pakistan's Baluchistan province have targeted two important Chinese projects in the region, the Gwadar Port and the Saindak mine, for overtly political reasons," wrote the authors.
The book, released by the International Institute for Strategic Studies at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, recalled the murder of three Chinese nationals in May 2004 while they were working on the port project.
Contractor China Harbour Engineering completed the first phase of the project but left during the second stage for security reasons.
China's Kingho Group was also forced to cancel an ambitious coal mining project in Pakistan for the same reason.

Chinese oil-tanker drivers delivering fuel to the Saindak mine in the Chaghai hills were being attacked and kidnapped as early as this year, they said.
"Such insecurity - and such risks for Chinese engineers and workers - has kept other projects in Pakistan on the drawing board," wrote Washington-based Parello-Plesner and Beijing-based Duchatel in the 160-page book.
Citing security concerns, "very little has happened to advance the corridor project" of linking Gwadar to Kashgar, the capital of Xinjiang region, which was to create a new strategic axis in west Asia, the book said on the strategic USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which passes through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.