The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a $62 billion infrastructure project associated with Beijing’s broader Belt and Road Initiative. It entails new roads, power plants, and ports across Pakistan as part of China’s global effort to facilitate access to markets far and wide. CPEC has the potential to bring major benefits to Pakistan’s economy, but because of security and financial issues, it is also fraught with risk. This lecture will examine CPEC’s prospects; discuss how it is perceived in Pakistan, China, India, and the US; and consider its strategic implications for both New Delhi and Washington.

Michael Kugelman is the Asia Program Deputy Director and Senior Associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center, where he is responsible for research, programming, and publications on the region. His main speciality is Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan and U.S. relations with each of them. Kugelman writes monthly columns for Foreign Policy’s South Asia Channel and monthly commentaries for War on the Rocks. He also contributes regular pieces to the Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank blog. He has published op-eds and commentaries in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Politico, CNN.com, Bloomberg View, The Diplomat, Al Jazeera, and The National Interest, among others.

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