Saudi's oil refinery in Gwadar threatens Iran, China

Agencies

October 9, 2018

Hong Kong, Oct 9: Pakistan's latest announcement about Saudi Arabia's investment in an oil refinery at the port city of Gwadar has set alarm bells ringing in the international arena.

A Zerohedge article claims that Pakistan's move comes from a "desperate" need for funding to ward off a financial crisis stoked by growing debt to China.

The column, written by James Dorsey on Mid East Soccer blog, claims that Saudi's oil refinery in Gwadar Port could threaten Iran's India-backed Chabahar Port, making China(and Pakistan) a part of an "all but open war" between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The Saudis may invest up to USD 10 billion dollars in the region. The deal could additionally involve deferred payments on Saudi oil supplies which will firstly, create a strategic oil reserve close to Iran, and secondly, help cash-strapped Pakistan in payments.

The Zerohedge article further stated that Pakistan will be forced to seek a USD 12 billion bailout from International Monetary Fund (IMF) if government expenditure is not brought under control -- a fact that Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan has taken note of.

Islamabad's first step to curb the spending spree came in September, as funds for road projects, which are a part of CPEC's Western route that connects Balochistan with China's troubled region of Xinjiang, were not sanctioned in time. The very same road project was already grappling with delays in approval from China, with Pakistan's move bringing progress to a standstill.

Furthermore, Pakistan's Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid cut USD 2 billion dollars from a USD 8.2 billion project that aims to upgrade and expand Pakistan's railway network, a significant part of CPEC.

The article quoted Rashid who said, "Pakistan is a poor country that cannot afford huge burden of the loans. CPEC is like the backbone for Pakistan, but our eyes and ears are open."

Islamabad's latest move was inviting the oil-rich Saudi for investments in the Gwadarrefinery and mines in Balochistan. The fact that Pakistan officials denied suggestions that the Gulf country would join the CPEC was an indication to China's apprehensions with the deal.

During campaigning for the General Elections in the country, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had likened the CPEC to "a modern-day equivalent of the British East IndiaCompany" which eventually led to colonisation in the South-Asian subcontinent and drained the economies of the countries colonised.

The PTI also denounced Chinese-funded transit projects in Punjab and claimed that funds, which could be used for social spending, were being squandered, while "suggesting" that the projects involved "corrupt practises".

Therefore, while the Saudi engagement eases Pakistan's financial woes, it also enables Saudi Arabia to prevent Chabahar from emerging as a powerful Arabian Sea hub.

A study published last year by the International Institute for Iranian Studies claims that Iran's Chabahar port posed "a direct threat to the Arab Gulf states" that called for "immediate countermeasures."

The study, credited to Mohammed Hassan Husseinbor, further 'warned' that the India-backed port could raise foreign investment in Iran, increase government revenues and "enable Iran to increase its oil market share in India at the expense of Saudi Arabia."
Husseinbor also suggested Saudi support for a low-level Baloch insurgency in Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province, which would "be a formidable challenge, if not impossible, for the Iranian government to protect such long distances and secure Chabahar in the face of widespread Baluch opposition, particularly if this opposition is supported by Iran's regional adversaries and world powers."

US President Donald Trump's national security advisor John Bolton had drafted a plan last year that "envisioned US support 'for the democratic Iranian opposition' including in Balochistan and Iran's Sistan and Balochistan province."

The Saudi-Pakistan deal may potentially bear ominous implications for China, who may well be able to manage Pakistan by addressing their CPEC-related reservations, however, a Saudi-Iranian conflict will be much more complicated to deal with.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

'Coronavirus now behaving differently in China's northeast clusters'

News Network

May 20,2020

May 20: The novel coronavirus is behaving differently in patients in northeast China who have contracted it recently compared with early cases, indicating it is changing as it spreads, a prominent doctor said.

China, which has largely brought the virus under control, has found new clusters of infections in the northeastern border provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang in recent weeks, raising concern about a second wave.

Qiu Haibo, an expert in critical care medicine who is part of a National Health Commission expert group, said the incubation period of the virus in patients in the northeast was longer than that of patients in Wuhan, the central city, where the virus emerged late last year.

COVID-19 Pandemic Tracker: 15 countries with the highest number of coronavirus cases, deaths

"This causes a problem, as they don't have any symptoms. So when they gather with their families they don't care about this issue and we see family cluster infections," Qiu told state broadcaster CCTV in a programme broadcast late on Tuesday.

Patients in the northeastern clusters were also carrying the virus for longer than earlier cases in Wuhan, and they were taking longer to recover, as defined by a negative nucleic acid test, he said.

Patients in the northeast also rarely exhibited fever and tended to suffer damage to the lungs rather than across multiple organs, he said.

He said the virus found in the northeastern clusters was probably imported from abroad, which could account for the differences.

He did not say where he though they might have come from but both Jilin and Heilongjiang border Russia.

China reported five new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, down from six a day earlier.

Four of the new cases were local transmissions and one was imported by a traveller coming from abroad, the commission said in a statement, compared with three imported cases reported the previous day.

China's total number of coronavirus infections stands at 82,965, while the death toll 4,634.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

India sees spike of 18,522 COVID-19 cases, tally reaches 5,66,840

News Network

June 30,2020

New Delhi, Jun 30: With a spike of 18,522 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, India's coronavirus count now stand at 5,66,840, said the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Tuesday.

According to the Ministry, 418 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours. The number of deaths in the country now stands at 16,893.

There are 2,15,125 active coronavirus cases in the country while the number of cured/discharged patients stands at 3,34,821 and one patient migrated.

As per the Ministry, Maharashtra is the worst-hit state with regard to the COVID-19 cases and has reported 1,69,883 cases, including 73, 313 active cases 88,960 cured/discharged patients and 7,610 fatalities.

Tamil Nadu has a total of 86,224 cases including 1,141 deaths. Delhi's COVID-19 count stands at 85,161 cases and 2,680 fatalities.

The total number of samples tested up to 29 June is 86,08,654 of which 2,10,292 samples were tested yesterday, informed the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

China Says Doesn't Wish To See More Clashes on Border with India

News Network

June 17,2020

Beijing, Jun 17: China said Wednesday it wanted to avoid further clashes with India along their border after the first deadly confrontation between the two nuclear powers in decades.

The two countries have traded blame for Monday's high-altitude brawl that left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead, with China refusing to confirm so far whether there were any casualties on its side.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian insisted again Wednesday that it was Indian troops who illegally crossed the border and attacked the Chinese side.

This led to "a serious physical confrontation between both sides that caused deaths and injuries", Zhao said at a regular briefing, without providing more details about the casualties.

He said China urges India to "strictly restrain frontline troops, do not illegally cross the border, do not make provocative gestures, do not take any unilateral actions that will complicate the border situation".

But he added that the two sides "will continue to resolve this issue through dialogue and negotiations".

"We of course don't wish to see more clashes," Zhao said.

Comments

we have 56 inch chest man as our leader...he alone will fight the war and give victory to india..jai bakth