CPEC and the Geopolitics of the Indian Ocean: China’s Maritime Strategy through Gwadar

Abstract

While existing scholarship on the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has often highlighted its economic and developmental dimensions, comparatively less emphasis has been placed on its maritime and geostrategic implications, particularly the evolving role of Gwadar Port. To address this gap, a qualitative, theory-driven comparative case study design was adopted, relying on secondary data drawn from policy documents, naval reports, trade statistics, and peer-reviewed literature published between 2018 and 2024. Classical geopolitical theories—Mahan’s sea power, Mackinder’s Heartland, and Spykman’s Rimland—were integrated with contemporary frameworks such as the String of Pearls and the Maritime Silk Road, allowing Gwadar’s dual function as both an economic hub and a strategic asset to be systematically assessed. The findings indicate that Gwadar has enhanced China’s access to Middle Eastern energy, reduced reliance on the Strait of Malacca, and extended the operational reach of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, thereby altering the balance of power in the Indian Ocean. At the regional level, Gwadar has been shown to intensify Sino–Indian rivalry, heighten U.S. anxieties over freedom of navigation, encourage Gulf States to adopt hedging strategies, and provide Pakistan with both an economic lifeline and strategic leverage. Conceptually, the study contributes to international relations and maritime studies by demonstrating how infrastructure projects blur conventional boundaries between geo-economics and geo-strategy, offering a framework through which China’s maritime rise and the emerging multipolarity of the Indian Ocean may be understood. In practical terms, it is recommended that Pakistan establish joint maritime security initiatives with Gulf States, that China emphasize Gwadar’s civilian orientation to ease regional concerns, and that major powers pursue cooperative maritime frameworks in order to prevent further militarization of the region.