Will Pakistan Chnages Partner ?

 U.S. envoy's Gwadar tour shows Pakistan's evolving China strategy

ISLAMABAD -- A U.S. diplomat's recent visit to the Pakistani port of Gwadar, a poster child of China's Belt and Road Initiative, has caught the attention of geopolitical observers.
 
Donald Blome, the American ambassador to Pakistan, earlier this month made the first visit to Gwadar by a U.S. diplomat in two years.
 
Gwadar is home to a Chinese-built and operated deep-sea port, a core facility for the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). But China has been frustrated by cash-strapped Pakistan's delayed payments under CPEC, and Islamabad is reportedly negotiating with Beijing to reduce the cost of a railway.
 
Pakistan wants leverage over Beijing in forthcoming negotiations on CPEC projects and the Blome visit is likely part of a delicate balancing act between the rival superpowers.