China and Pakistan are about to sign a deal to protect Chinese infrastructure projects and workers in Pakistan due to increasing attacks on Chinese workers and projects. China is the largest foreign investor in Pakistan, with investment promises around the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), totalling $65 billion.

In recent years, China has linked business agreements to security amid rising attacks on Chinese projects and workers. In this case, an agreement to establish joint security companies between China and Pakistan is about to be signed. As per Nikkei Asia, this agreement will entail dispatching Chinese security personnel to safeguard Chinese projects and labourers.

Thousands of Chinese workers and executives work in Pakistan on projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). They face threats from groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). The BLA wants a separate nation for the Baloch ethnic minority in southwest Pakistan. There have been several attacks targeting these workers in recent years.

According to Nikkei Asia, a new agreement will set up a two-tier security system for Chinese workers. The inner layer will have Chinese security guards, while the outer layer will have Pakistani guards. The report also mentioned that Chinese workers will travel in armoured vehicles around the country.

The report stated that China has tied future investments in Pakistan to improve security for its interests and cooperation on counter-terrorism. Since 2022, China has been asking to send its own security personnel, but Pakistan has resisted. However, as Pakistan's economy is sinking, it seems to be giving in to China's demands.

China has offered to invest more in Pakistan's infrastructure, energy, and transport projects under CPEC if Pakistan allows Chinese security personnel to be deployed inside the country, according to a newspaper report.

Chinese negotiators have suggested restarting the $7 billion Main Line 1 railway project, the biggest project under CPEC. It would connect Peshawar in the northwest of Pakistan to Karachi in the south with a railway line over 2,600 kilometres long, according to Pakistani media reports.

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