Bad news from CPEC. A fire broke out in the port of Gwadar and 12 tankers were destroyed. A few days ago, a video went viral on foreign social networks. The ship is on fire. According to the video publisher, the port pictured here is Pakistan's Gwadar port, which stores a quarter of Pakistan's oil reserves. At least 10 oil bases, 7 tankers and Pakistani warships could burn. The publisher called Gwadar Port a "terrorist attack" by "Baloch rebels."
However, some Indian media quoted Pakistani local media as saying that the port fire was not an attack, but an accident caused by a short circuit, and 12 oil tankers docked at sea were destroyed in the fire.
There has been a lot of speculation about the cause of the fire, and no clear answer has been given by the official. Since Gwadar Port is located in Pakistan's Balochistan province, it is definitely an area where anti-government organizations and terrorists operate. There have been multiple attacks against China in the past. The statement that "the port was attacked" is also credible.
Gwadar Port is an important hub of the "Belt and Road" and "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor" and the main fulcrum of the China-Pakistan oil pipeline economic route. Gwadar Port is built and managed by China, which can effectively prevent the threat of blockade in the Malacca Strait and shorten the distance of Chinese oil imports. Whether it is Pakistan or China, the importance of Gwadar Port is obvious. The sudden fire in Gwadar Port naturally attracted the attention of the Chinese side.
Many suspect that the Gwadar port fire was caused by a terrorist attack is unfounded. Recently, China and the Gulf Cooperation Council signed a number of agreements and issued the Sino-Maritime Joint Statement, announcing that it will promote oil-related RMB settlement cooperation. This is equivalent to moving the American "pie". You know, the reason why the dollar can maintain hegemony is mainly because it is pegged to oil. If the dollar is no longer used in oil trade, the prestige of the dollar will be seriously damaged, and the "petrodollar" may collapse.
India and the United States are behind the insurgency in Pakistan's Balochistan province. If the United States wants to send a "warning" to China through the hands of the Baloch rebels, that's okay.
It is worth noting that while China has reached a number of agreements with Gulf states in recent days, some countries around China have raised problems. A few days ago, the Indian army suddenly crossed the border to provoke the border guards, and physical clashes broke out between the two sides. Three days after the border clashes between China and India, several Chinese were injured in a terrorist attack on a hotel where Chinese gathered in the Afghan capital, Kabul. Over the next two days, another fire broke out at the port of Gwadar, Pakistan. The timing of the show is too coincidental to really resonate.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is a major problem for Pakistan. The province does not have strong ownership in Pakistan and is a major area of activity for the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Terrorist activities have not yet been eradicated, resulting in a decline in the province's economic development and a low standard of living for the people. There have been many complaints. During the construction of Gwadar Port, the old part of the city near the port will be demolished. Although China has fully compensated local residents and helped build new houses and schools, some remain dissatisfied.
U.S. and Indian intelligence felt they had found an opportunity and deliberately set fire to the rear. Militants often attack workers during China's infrastructure projects and port construction. If the Gwadar port fire is caused by vandalism, it means damage to CPEC and Chinese outbound investment. China will not allow it. It is hoped that the Pakistani government will find out the cause of the accident as soon as possible and provide full information to the Chinese side.