US Strategic Policies Towards China and Their Impact on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Balochistan

Abstract

This research paper aims to examine the strategic policies of President Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Trump 2.0 in relation to China. It seeks to highlight how the United States has shifted its foreign policy from engagement to strategic competition. Both administrations believe that China is their primary strategic competitor, challenging US hegemony economically, politically, and ideologically. Furthermore, the thesis will examine the Indo-Pacific Strategy, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), and the Build Back Better World (B3W) initiatives as countermeasures to China's Belt and Road Initiative. The research will also examine the impact of the rivalry between the US and China on Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan, where the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is situated. Balochistan has been geopolitically significant since the nineteenth century, and Gwadar has captured the interest of major powers. Both China and the US have vested interests in Gwadar due to its strategic location for import and export and warm-water access. The research paper will argue how the US-China rivalry impacts CPEC and Gwadar, where a long-standing insurgency has been ongoing since Pakistan's independence.