Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that the much talked about China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would prove to be a game-changer not only for Pakistan's economy but the entire South Asia.  

Sharif was talking at the inaugural session of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Summit (CPEC Summit) at the Pak-China Friendship Centre in Islamabad. The two-day summit will look into all the controversies plaguing the $40 billion dollar project and investment avenues available to both countries from the project.

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"The project would be a 'game-changer' for Pakistan and for the entire region of South Asia," Sharif said at the summit. "$46 billion is the economic value but the overall contribution and impact of CPEC would be much deeper and far-reaching."

"[The CPEC will] not only create a strong overland link between Pakistan and China but also give us the opportunity to strengthen Pakistan's own inland transportation and logistics infrastructure," he said.

Last week, an influential Chinese think tank expressed fear that Pakistan's hostile neighbor India may try to sabotage the project, adding that China would have to intervene if India tries to create hurdles in the CPEC project.

The warning by the Chinese think tank comes a week after Indian Prime Minister Modi took a swipe at Pakistan's troubled region of Balochistan province during his independence speech. The CPEC project connects the Chinese province Xinjiang to the city of Gwadar, which is located in Pakistan's troubled region of Balochistan.

Islamabad has often accused India of stroking insurgency in the Balochistan region, but so far has failed to provide any credible evidence to support its claim.   

In the past, New Delhi has expressed security concern over the CPEC project, as the corridor passes through Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK).

Tagschina, China and Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor