China-Pakistan Economic Corridor- tightrope or boulevard to prosperity?

The China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a key component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) through which China aims to connect East Asia with Europe through connected land and sea routes. Defenders of the CPEC argue that it is a ‘game changer’ that will transform Pakistan’s struggling economy. Critics of the CPEC describe it as a modern-day New East India Company, implying that its purpose, and likely effect, is to turn Pakistan into a Chinese client state China. Neither of these extreme views about CPEC is likely true; Pakistan should be able to take benefit from important features of the CPEC while mitigating the disadvantages.