ISLAMABAD -- A U.S. diplomat's recent visit to the Pakistani port of Gwadar, the heart of China's Belt and Road Initiative projects in the country, has highlighted Islamabad's delicate task of balancing ties with rival superpowers and efforts to gain leverage for itself.
Donald Blome, the American ambassador to Pakistan, earlier this month made the first visit to Gwadar by a U.S. diplomat since a brief stop by the charge d'affaires in 2021. Before that, U.S. officials had not set foot in Gwadar since 2006.
