中國在巴基斯坦山區(qū)高速公路沿線投資了數(shù)十億美元

中國在巴基斯坦山區(qū)高速公路沿線投資了數(shù)十億美元

Much is expected of Karakoram Highway, which curls through the tall mountain ranges of northern Pakistan, reaching western China. Both countries are renovating it, seeing its potential as a trade route. Pakistan also views it as a way to consolidate control over territories contested with India.

人們對喀喇昆侖公路寄予厚望，這條公路蜿蜒穿過巴基斯坦北部的高山山脈，一直延伸到中國西部。兩國都在翻新它，將其視為一條潛在的貿(mào)易路線。巴基斯坦還認(rèn)為這是鞏固對與印度有爭議的領(lǐng)土控制的一種方式。

But some of the 500-mile route is barely a two-way road, carved out of the rock face that slopes sharply into valleys below. It is battered by rockfall, floods and earthquakes. A landslide in 2010 blocked a river and drowned about 14 miles of the road. In heavy snowfalls, the road all but shuts down.

但這條500英里長的路線中，有一些幾乎不是雙向公路，而是在陡峭的山坡下的山谷中鑿出來的。它受到巖崩、洪水和地震的沖擊。2010年的一次山體滑坡堵塞了一條河流，淹沒了大約14英里的道路。在大雪中，道路幾乎完全封閉了。

The riskiest part is the last stretch to China. "We can actually call this part of the road as a museum of geohazards," says Sarfraz Ali, a geologist who studies the impact of climate change on the highway at Pakistan's National University of Sciences and Technology.

最危險的部分是通往中國的最后一段路。“我們實(shí)際上可以把這部分公路稱為地質(zhì)災(zāi)害博物館，”在巴基斯坦國立科技大學(xué)研究氣候變化對公路影響的地質(zhì)學(xué)家薩夫拉茲·阿里說。

The Karakoram Highway, named for the spindly mountain range it traverses, was a major feat when it was built in the 1950s to 1970s. Now, the Chinese government has invested about $2 billion to rebuild a nearly 160-mile stretch of highway to replace the old Karakoram road between the Pakistani towns of Havelian and Raikot. The final stretch is expected to be completed in March.

喀喇昆侖高速公路，以其所穿越的細(xì)長山脈命名，是上世紀(jì)50年代至70年代修建的一項(xiàng)重大壯舉。現(xiàn)在，中國政府已投資約20億美元重建一條近160英里長的高速公路，以取代巴基斯坦哈夫利安和萊科特之間的喀喇昆侖公路。最后一段預(yù)計(jì)將在3月份完成。

The revamp is a key project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, in which China plans to invest over $60 billion in energy and transport in Pakistan. CPEC, part of China's global Belt and Road Initiative, has stirred controversy because neither country has offered clarity on the terms of the money or how much of it is loans.

此次改造是中巴經(jīng)濟(jì)走廊(CPEC)的一個關(guān)鍵項(xiàng)目，中國計(jì)劃在巴基斯坦投資600多億美元用于能源和交通。作為中國“一帶一路”倡議的一部分，中巴經(jīng)濟(jì)走廊引發(fā)了爭議，因?yàn)殡p方都沒有明確表示資金的具體條款，也沒有透露其中有多少是貸款。

The Karakoram is open to much of the public, but foreign journalists are required to get Pakistani military permission to visit its far-northern stretches. When NPR recently gained access, its reporters found a road that has transformed communities along the way.

喀喇昆侖山脈對大部分公眾開放，但是外國記者必須得到巴基斯坦軍方的許可才能進(jìn)入其北部偏遠(yuǎn)地帶。當(dāng)美國國家公共電臺最近獲準(zhǔn)采訪時，它的記者發(fā)現(xiàn)了一條改變沿途社區(qū)面貌的道路。

These days, vehicles cruise on the new highway north of Islamabad, passing rivers and ancient Buddhist monuments, and snarling hectic markets. At night, some stretches are lit by the fluorescent light of flophouses and chai stalls frequented by truck drivers.

如今，車輛在伊斯蘭堡以北的新公路上行駛，經(jīng)過河流、古老的佛教遺跡和混亂繁忙的市場。晚上，卡車司機(jī)經(jīng)常光顧的小旅館和印度奶茶攤的熒光燈照亮了一些地段。

At the Jehangir Khan Hotel, owner Abdullah Zadran, 28, says he would go out of business because the Chinese were rebuilding this section of the road as a multilane highway outside of town.

在Jeangir Khan酒店，28歲的老板阿卜杜拉·扎德蘭表示，他將停業(yè)，因?yàn)橹袊苏趯⑦@段道路重建為城外的多車道高速公路。

Waiter Abdul Ghafour, 30, nods in agreement. "My owner won't keep me," he says, worried about losing his $4-a-day wage.

30歲的服務(wù)員阿卜杜勒·加福爾點(diǎn)頭表示同意。“我的主人不會留住我，”他說，擔(dān)心失去每天4美元的工資。

In a nearby town, sports supervisor Qazi Ishaq, 45, hopes the improved road brings tourists. He's overseeing boys playing hockey, cricket and soccer on a large field.

在附近的一個小鎮(zhèn)，45歲的體育主管卡齊·伊沙克希望改善后的道路能帶來游客。他監(jiān)督男孩們在一個大球場上打曲棍球、板球和足球。

Girls don't play sports in this part of rural Pakistan; they rarely venture outside. Might a new road change these customs? "Our culture will not be affected," Ishaq insists. "Women in our area observe purdah," he says, referring to the practice of seclusion and veiling.

在巴基斯坦農(nóng)村的這一地區(qū)，女孩們不參加體育運(yùn)動；她們很少冒險外出。一條新路會改變這些風(fēng)俗習(xí)慣嗎？“我們的文化不會受到影響，”伊沙克堅(jiān)稱。“我們地區(qū)的婦女遵守伊斯蘭教規(guī)，”他說，他指的是隱居和戴面紗的做法。