China’s China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is facing mounting security challenges as militant attacks on Chinese personnel and infrastructure continue to escalate. A recent Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) report argues that the approximately US$65 billion project has entered a more dangerous phase, with Chinese investments in Pakistan increasingly targeted by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and other separatist groups.
The CPEC’s security environment has deteriorated steadily in recent years. Major attacks include the 2021 suicide bombing that killed nine Chinese engineers working on the Dasu hydropower project, the 2022 suicide attack on Karachi University’s Confucius Institute that claimed the lives of three Chinese nationals, renewed attacks on Chinese workers at Dasu and Karachi in 2024, and continued assaults on Chinese-linked projects in 2025. The worsening security situation has forced Beijing to reassess the risks and costs of its overseas investments, while Gwadar Port—once envisioned as a regional commercial hub—has become a heavily fortified site requiring extensive security measures.
The challenges facing CPEC underscore broader vulnerabilities in China’s BRI strategy. The widening gap between Beijing’s strategic ambitions and local grievances over resource distribution, employment opportunities, and political autonomy suggests that infrastructure investment alone cannot overcome entrenched political instability and local conflicts. As a result, CPEC’s difficulties raise broader questions about the long-term sustainability of China’s overseas development model.
Source: Aboluo, July 26, 2026
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