CPEC Diplomatic debt-trap or economic game-changer for South Asia

LONDON, 15-12- 2017: A panel discussion was held at the Royal Asiatic Society in London, consisting of reputable scholars affiliated with various academic institutions including Oxford University,Birmingham University and SOAS University of London.The discussion focused on the wide range of legal, political, economic, ecological, physical and ethical challenges that may result from the planned China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a crucial component of China's much-hyped One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative. One of the most important issues raised was that concerning the legality of the project considering that it was based on assumption that there would be no legal issues arising out of the fact that the corridor is expected to run through the disputed territory of Gilgit Baltistan, Jammu and Kashmir.