https://sputnikglobe.com/20260505/geography-beats-bureaucracy-why-gwadar-is-still-key-despite-permit-problems-1124079250.html
Geography Beats Bureaucracy: Why Gwadar Is Still Key Despite Permit Problems
Geography Beats Bureaucracy: Why Gwadar Is Still Key Despite Permit Problems
Sputnik International
A major Chinese enterprise operating in the Gwadar Port Free Zone, has cancelled its earlier plan to exit Pakistan after receiving support from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to resolve permit issues.
2026-05-05T07:47+0000
2026-05-05T07:47+0000
2026-05-05T09:27+0000
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shehbaz sharif
gwadar
pakistan
china
sputnik
china-pakistan economic corridor (cpec)
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The Chinese Hangeng Trade Company, a major investor in the Gwadar Port Free Zone in western Pakistan, has reversed its decision to close its business there. Arab News reports that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal helped get the firm the permits it needed. Their intervention shows the Pakistani government's commitment to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Dr. Sarwat Rauf, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of International Relations at NUML, told Sputnik. Bureaucratic hold-ups do not alter Gwadar's key position on the Arabian Sea coast, the expert said. She noted that the CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee exists to resolve disputes. But "here is a need to further add a legitimate authority — a body recognized by both the governments — where grievances are handled institutionally, not personally," Rauf argued.
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shehbaz sharif, gwadar, pakistan, china, sputnik, china-pakistan economic corridor (cpec)
shehbaz sharif, gwadar, pakistan, china, sputnik, china-pakistan economic corridor (cpec)
Geography Beats Bureaucracy: Why Gwadar Is Still Key Despite Permit Problems
07:47 GMT 05.05.2026 (Updated: 09:27 GMT 05.05.2026) A major Chinese enterprise operating in the Gwadar Port Free Zone, has cancelled its earlier plan to exit Pakistan after receiving support from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal to resolve permit issues.
The Chinese Hangeng Trade Company, a major investor in the Gwadar Port Free Zone in western Pakistan, has reversed its decision to close its business there.
Arab News reports that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal helped get the firm the permits it needed.
Their intervention shows the Pakistani government's commitment to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Dr. Sarwat Rauf, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of International Relations at NUML, told Sputnik.
Bureaucratic hold-ups do not alter Gwadar's key position on the Arabian Sea coast, the expert said.
She noted that the CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee exists to resolve disputes.
But "here is a need to further add a legitimate authority — a body recognized by both the governments — where grievances are handled institutionally, not personally," Rauf argued.
"That could potentially reduce dependency on individual political relationships."
