Abstract

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) makes up one of the largest foreign investments in the substructure of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). CPEC has become an unavoidable disquiet in South Asia with particular regard to Pakistan-India relations. The distinct transport corridor between Pakistan and China passes over Jammu and Kashmir, a disputed territory between India and Pakistan since 1947. Additionally, the Indian policy elite also anticipates CPEC’s economic and security implications for India. The emerging consensus in India appears that, far from being exclusively an economic and infrastructure development program, CPEC may be conceived as a longâ?term strategic initiative that seeks to convert China's current economic might into diplomatic influence. In comparison, Pakistan believes that CPEC will strengthen the economic, security and trade cooperation between China and Pakistan. Therefore, the paper attempts to answer the following questions: What is the Indian perception of CPEC? How does Pakistan attempt to shape the new narrative of CPEC? In the end, the paper will try to figure out some solutions for potential challenges.