Gwadar or Chabahar: A study of the strategies of regional and Trans-regional powers

The China-Pakistan corridor is one of the most important components of the One-Belt One-Road initiative. The present study tries to answer the question of what are the strategies of regional and trans-regional actors towards the China-Pakistan corridor, relying on convergence theory and descriptive research method.Findings show that under the leadership of the United States and with the support of India and Pakistan, the game has been formed in the region, the outcome of which is to create a gap between Iran and China in order not to develop transit routes on both sides in Chabahar port. To that end, the United States became a major player in two regional alliances in South and West Asia. On the one hand, with the US green light, Pakistan was allowed to accompany China in the corridor. On the other hand, in order to ensure Iran's unwillingness for China to be present at the Chabahar port, in 2016 India, as a strategic partner of the United States, entered into the India-Iran-Afghanistan trilateral agreement to develop the Chabahar port. In order to continue this strategy, after the imposition of unilateral US sanctions against Iran, Indian investments in the port of Chabahar were exempted from this embargo. Thus, with the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran turning to China's regional rival for the development of Chabahar port in 2016, as well as China's $ 62 billion investment in the China-Pakistancorridor, the opportunity for Iran-China cooperation to develop Chabahar port was takenaway from both sides.