Silk Cage-II Webinar Report on “Corridor, Client, or Catalyst? CPEC and Beijing’s Strategic Leverage from Pakistan to the Indian Ocean”

This report is the outcome of the second webinar in the Silk Cage series, held on February 19, 2026. This webinar addressed debates surrounding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with a central question: is CPEC primarily an economic development initiative, or does it function as a strategic instrument through which Beijing reshapes security alignments from South Asia to the Indian Ocean? While framed as a growth corridor vital to Pakistan’s development, CPEC is increasingly viewed as a mechanism that embeds long-term strategic leverage, linking continental access to maritime reach. This tension between development and security anchored the discussion. A recording of the webinar is available on YouTube. Read the full report here.