The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has emerged as a central factor in regional and global politics, economics, and security. As the flagship project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), it aims to create a network of infrastructure projects, energy production, and trade routes connecting China’s western region to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea. Spanning over 3,000 kilometers and with an estimated price tag of over $60 billion USD, the majority of the projects are located in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and are principally funded by Chinese lenders, including the China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China.