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China to invest $10b in hydro-power projects in Pakistan
President Asif Ali Zardari, during his visit to China, is holding important meetings in Beijing.
President Zardari being welcomed by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhi Jun. PHOTO: APP
BEIJING: President Asif Ali Zardari, during his visit to China, met with the Chairman of a Chinese firm that is willing to invest $10 billion in hydro-power projects in Pakistan.
On his sixth visit as President to China, Zardari also met with the President of Exim Bank as well as the President of The Three Gorges Corporation.
Breifing reporters after the meetings, Zardari said the company will build dams in Bunji and Kohala areas. The dams are to generate 7,000 and 12,000 megawatts respectively.
China has said it has the right to pursue nuclear power projects with Pakistan — which China treats as acounter-weight to Indian influence. Chinese nuclear companies have built one reactor unit at the Chashma atomic complex in Pakistan’s Punjab province, and they are building another one likely to be finished in 2011 or 2012. Chinese companies have also unveiled plans to build another two bigger reactors at Chashma in coming years.
President Zardari also held talks with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.
A nearly $7 billion trade deal between the two countries is also expected to be discussed.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told the media that China and Pakistan will sign cooperation agreements in agriculture, healthcare, economy and technology sectors during President Zardari’s visit.
Commenting on some media reports which claimed that China is striving to balance relations with India and Pakistan, Qin said China expects good neighbourly, friendly and cooperative relations with its two South Asian neighbours.
“We are willing to make joint efforts with both India and Pakistan to promote our bilateral ties, which will benefit the people in the three countries and common development and prosperity of the region,” Qin said, noting that China is also glad to witness improvements in Indo-Pak ties.
Reader Comments (15)
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It is good to see the President of Pakistan wearing our national dress on foreign tours as there is nothing to feel insecure about.Recommend
it is bad to see the President of Pakistan being ridiculed at home for nothingRecommend
Do u know the actual cost of Zaradri 3 days visit to china? In back background u can see Mr.Naveed Qamar Happy smiling enjoying AC and forigin media coverage. The total cost of Zardari’s luxrious forigin vist is usally around 1 Crore + in pakistani ruppes (usally it cost nearly same or more in all zardari’s forigin luxrious visits) if this amount of 1 crore was invest in hydro power project we could have defintly have 1 power project till now.If Sir Zardari wanted Aid he could have requested it or telephone or called them in pakistan to receive it like American are cooming to pakistan and then giving Aid .Recommend
I think Kohala Dam is not 12,000 Megawatts but only 1,100 – 1,200 Megawatts.Recommend
Again a lot of noise for another Presidential visit to China. Neither are these official visits, as he tours various factories and meets local governors, rather than meeting senior CCP leaders in Beijing. Sure, interaction is important, but these are turning into publicity stunts for political points.
So a Chinese company is going to invest $10 billion? This after a Korean company’s contract was dubiously cancelled? Not to mention, for these prospective projects have feasibility studies been conducted? Has land been secured? Compensation offered? Geographical surveys conducted?
The President should hail $10 billion dollars of investment as an achievement once the projects are completed. Not when he shakes a few hands and signs some MOU’s.Recommend
and apart from the dress… the issue! thank god PPP govt. is doing something, KUDOS Mr. President (alas you can did something useful)Recommend
MoU …MoU….nothing more nothing less…its not memorandum of understanding…Its Memoirs of understanding…Recommend
This is called friendship. Otherwise even friends like Saudi Arabia would prefer to invest in Madrassas and Wahabi Islam rather than some useful projects. And why not invest; Pakistan has improved its credit riskiness and has promoted itself from third to fourth riskiest country of the world, only yesterday. Read a related story at: link textRecommend
I dout any of these projects will see the light of the day.Pakistan beurocracy is still in the way, commissions have yet to be decided and agreed upon.Recommend
This is not the effort of Mr. President … its the wonderful friendship and the China’s care and special affection with Pakistan ……… So who ever rules the country, doesn’t matter ……. the wonderful bond of these neighbors is an example in the region itself .Recommend
President’s policy to have more visits to China is a good policy. Its nice to see President taking further the agenda that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto set four decades ago with China.
China, with increasing role in international politics, is a strategic partner and key that may help Pakistan in fast changing political situation of Afghnistan.
Mr President, you have all our support to make this partnership more stronger.Recommend
Nice to see our president doing something for our country. Now I wish that these project could be completed without any obstacles…Recommend
Friend in need is a friend indeed. China has always helped Pakistan through its economic and military aid. Today’s China is aworld’s emerging economic power.We can count on China for its role in the economic development of Pakistan.Recommend
Im no fan of zardadi and am infact one of his biggest critics. But anyone with an iota of global experiance would not be complaing about these trips. Especially when these trips are to China. The best friend pakistan ever had.
It should be kept in mind that regardless of how we treat zardai at home (and rightly so in many instances), when he travels abroad, he travels as the President of Pakistan and represents YOU and I. As a result, he deserves our full support. China doesn’t deal with him because he is zardari. They deal with him because he represents pakistan.
I will also remind the posters here that the nuclear agreements that china inked with pakistan last year as well as the raillink and the hyrdo investments are a HUGE leap forward for pakistan and pakistan’s friendship with china. These are just some of the fruits of these visits of zardari and i for one fully support his efforts. Atleast in this regard.Recommend
Our Govt. officials must visit China frequently and must sign more & more projects for Pakistan, because it’s always favorable to China as well as for Pakistani peoples.
So we should support all those official who are visiting China.
Don’t think that I am supporting the President, actually I am supporting the visits to China.Recommend