Legal Frameworks and Sustainable Development: Bridging the Governance Gap in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) represents the largest infrastructure project of its kind, spanning 3,000 km and linking two nations. This monograph is the first to provide a comprehensive analysis of the environmental governance gaps and reform pathways of the CPEC.

Drawing on primary and secondary sources, project monitoring data and policy analysis, the book examines the reasons for the divergence in environmental standards between China and Pakistan. Pakistan’s 27-year-old environmental legislation, fragmented provincial governance and limited regulatory capacity are inadequate for overseeing a USD 62+ billion corridor designed by a nation with advanced environmental institutions and robust enforcement mechanisms. Rather than merely critiquing current trajectories, the book proposes a three-pillar approach and a bilateral institutional framework in the form of a Joint CPEC Environmental Commission. This commission would have authority over Phase II projects (2025–2035) and could align infrastructure development with climate commitments and biodiversity protection.

Through legal analysis and comparative institutional assessment, the book offers policymakers, civil society, and scholars a practical blueprint for sustainable transnational development.

Mehran Idris Khan is Associate Professor of Law at the University of International Business and Economics, Beijing. His research examines environmental law, maritime governance, and climate policy, with focus on transnational development corridors, maritime conservation, and environmental justice. Recent work addresses CPEC impacts, ocean governance, the introduction of a novel ‘EIA 2.0’ concept, and climate litigation in the Global South.