Gwadar port: Southern starting point of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

Gwadar Port is a warm-water, deep-sea port situated along the coast of the Indian Ocean in Balochistan province, southwest of Pakistan. The port is also the starting point of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Construction of the port started in 2002. China provides capital and technology support to the project. Chinese Overseas Port Holdings Ltd has undertaken the management of the port from February 2013, as the former manager - Singapore's PSA International - has not developed the deep-sea port on the Arabian Sea "as desired", according to the local authority.

China and Pakistan decided to raise bilateral ties to all-weather strategic partnership of cooperation during China's President Xi Jinping's state visit to Pakistan in April this year. This upgrade came as the two countries were gearing up for an expansion of cooperation in various fields including Gwadar Port, traffic infrastructure, energy and industry cooperation, with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor high on the agenda.