The Road to (In)security: India’s Perception of Insecurity Towards the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

Abstract

Infrastructural techno-political regimes are growing all over the world. One such regime, the Chinese One Belt One Road project (OBOR) is planned to have transnational connections to over 65 countries, in Africa, Asia, and Europe. OBOR’s flagship project is the US$62 billion China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Pakistan and China’s common neighbor in the South Asian region, India, is one of few states in Asia that has not agreed to join the OBOR. Instead, India has since the launch of the CPEC continuously voiced security concerns over it. The aim of this thesis is to explore the perception of insecurity that the Indian government create against the techno-political regime of CPEC. Along these lines, this thesis furthers the knowledge of how infrastructural techno-political regimes shape (in)security. It does so by building on the theoretical framework of techno-politics and securitization of infrastructure. The thesis uses discourse analysis and document analysis as methods. It finds that infrastructural techno-political regimes are concerned with securing connectivity, flow, and territorial control, viewing them as referent objects. Simultaneously, however, the same regime might be seen as a security threat by other political entities. In the case analyzed, the infrastructural techno-political regime of CPEC is seen as a securitized threat by the Indian government. Infrastructure technology produced by CPEC promotes a securitized discourse of connectivity, flow, and territorial control as a cause of; regional tension, national rivalries, unnecessary competitiveness, terrorism, and sovereignty issues.