Problems and Benefits of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for Local People in Pakistan: A Critical Review

This study provides a critical literature review of the benefits and problems associated with one of the largest Chinese-funded development projects, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), with particular focus on the implications of this project for local people in Pakistan. CPEC is one of the most significant development projects in Pakistan, covering infrastructure, agriculture, and energy cooperation. Although some studies have examined challenges and problems brought about by CPEC, the majority of them fail to examine specific localities and the Pakistani communities that have been impacted by the project. Hence, most of the investigations have reported general development impacts rather than indicating whether and how CPEC has brought either benefits or problems to local people. In examining previously published studies on CPEC, this essay highlights gaps in research, especially from anthropological and sociological perspectives, with the goal of encouraging further studies from the vantage point of the local communities regarding development projects in Pakistan.