Pakistan

CPEC set to attract $150b investment

Connectivity through mega CPEC project will enhance trade opportunities for Pakistan

APP September 12, 2016

PHOTO: REUTERS

ISLAMABAD: The connectivity through mega CPEC project will enhance trade opportunities for Pakistan with 70 per cent of the international maritime trade via Pakistan’s two big ports of Karachi and Gwadar.

According to a Khaleej Times report, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is planned to shoot up for a $150 billion investment, and a new whole world of business that will make it the largest economic region, as details of its size and stature are unveiled this week.

CPEC to change fate of the region: Nawaz

The plan is to connect three engines of growth - South Asia, China and Central Asian Republics and aligning it with the entire South, Northern and North-Western regions.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had on Sunday voiced confidence that once ready the CPEC projects would turn around the economic outlook of the whole region. The premier's remarks came just a day after Vice Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China, Zheng Xiaosong, stressed that political consensus is essential for fully exploiting the potential of the economic corridor.

Zheng, while talking with a visiting delegation of the PPP in Beijing, said: “Political consensus coupled with unanimity in approach is essential to draw the maximum benefits from this mega project which is a game-changer for the region.” These comments are significant because it came just days after Indian PM Narendra Modi had accused Pakistan of fomenting terrorism in South Asia while speaking at the just concluded G-20 summit in China.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2016.

COMMENTS (27)

Vectra | 8 years ago | Reply @D khan: "FYI, there are already massive economic zones being planned and several major countries including Iran and turkey have expressed interest in being a part of this" Well CPEC if i am not wrong then it is some 2400 Km of highways across Pakistan and just today i read the news that India plans 27000 Km economic corridors of its own which is a separate project from already complete Golden Quadrilateral and North South East West Corridor, totaling 13,000 km. This new 27000 Km of economic corridor of India is almost 13 times bigger than the CPEC and costs around Rs 6 Lakh Crore INR or Rs 12 Lakh Crore PKR or $90 billion.

Vectra | 8 years ago | Reply @D khan: I just asked a simple question,if you have answer then you are free to share.Btw this is better plan or not and whether China will ensure its success or not is still a question mark whose answer only time will tell.Also there is an article in Global Times recently which urged CPC to focus more on Southeast Asia and focus less on CPEC for the time being but recommended to not abandon it completely.I can't tell if their mind set or thinking on CPEC being reviewed or not but lets wait for time.

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azhar | 8 years ago | Reply I don't know if its true or false but I am happy because its makes some peoples crying

IAHMED | 8 years ago | Reply Look Who is not happy! We expected this from you Indians

IndianDude | 8 years ago | Reply CPEC set to attract $150b investment.. Congratulations to pakistan on its envious economic progress. Even while CPEC is still on paper, the investment has already gone up from $45 billion to $150billion! A 400% increase! At this rate , by the time CPEC is completed in 15 years(2015–2030), it may hit $150 trillion! China is best advise to be careful as by the time CPEC is completed, china may actually end up as pakistan's colony, instead of otherway around, as it is intended.

D khan | 8 years ago | Reply @gagan; hahaha I see the Indians are already burning inside. FYI, there are already massive economic zones being planned and several major countries including Iran and turkey have expressed interest in being a part of this. Keep burning dudes gwadar and CPEC are destined for success

D khan | 8 years ago | Reply @Vectra: I am sure as an Indian it's burning you inside but don't worry about that. This is a very wel night out plan and China will ensure its success inshallah!

Woz ahmed | 8 years ago | Reply @saad: @Zahid: @psm: PSM thank you for that link to the Global Times, the mouthpiece of the Chinese government. I hope the commentary is wrong, but it is certainly disturbing and food for thought.

karimullah | 8 years ago | Reply Deployment of 14,503 security guards by Pakistan to protect the 7,036 Chinese nationals working on the corridor. What Pakistan reap from this CPEC project. In this way, Pakistan has to spend one hundred billion dollars during construction phase of CPEC.

saad | 8 years ago | Reply @Gagan: Get some help from a professional and you do not need to worry who is going to have benefits from CPEC.

Zahid | 8 years ago | Reply @Nav: This is none of your business. Weather it is going to be successful or not is our business. Lol its seems many in India like you are having difficulty sleeping with news related to CPEC. Now Tamil Nadu is burning and you should take care of your India before you have more and more Kanhaiya Kumar and a possible disintegration of India in the near future. Please fasten your seat belt and prepare your self for a more better news related to CPEC and it will be easier or otherwise a professional help with a specialist for CPEC depression might be helpful.

Raj - USA | 8 years ago | Reply @Nav: Why won't you not believe it? About 6 years ago, Malik Riaz brought in $40billion or so as investment from a US company and even signed an agreement in pomp and fair. About 5 years ago, IP pipeline transformed Pakistan. Think positively, always !!!!!!!!!

psm | 8 years ago | Reply Interesting article in China's newspaper which suggests a new thinking on CPEC. http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1006157.shtml

MQ | 8 years ago | Reply Amazing to see the jealousy of Indian trolls. They just can't seem to absorb anything good about Pakistan. India should stop sponsoring terror against Pak and come to terms with the fact that Pakistan is coming out of decade old proxy war and InshaAllah will be an economic super power soon.

Nav | 8 years ago | Reply I will not believe this until "The Economist" or some other publication of repute says it. World Bank or IMF should say this. Pakistan has only one connectivity point through China. Connectivity to Central Asia is controlled by Afghanistan. Connectivity to South East Asia (Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam etc..) are blocked by India. Pakistan has been kept out of the BBIN corridor created by Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal and India. Also India-Myanmar-Thailand Highway would have been provided South-East Asia Access to Pakistan.

Gagan | 8 years ago | Reply In case you are able complete the CPEC..... The only country who will benefit will be China.... Pakistan will only sell tea and samosa on that corridor to keep paying the huge interest on the loans...... and if it fails to attracts investment due to terrorism ... pakistan will spend its life on paying up the debts...... and then the same china will be your master of destiny.....

Kumar | 8 years ago | Reply Khaleej Times? Who arr they? Is it kind of "The economist" ?

Raghavan | 8 years ago | Reply @Vectra You should note here, that $150 billion investment is for 2014-2030 time frame. that too $46 billion chinese loans added to this investment. Remaining is sugar coated expectation for nealry $100 bllion, but reality is different

Black Hawk | 8 years ago | Reply So far, we've seen nothing but hyperbolic fairy tales about the "game changing" CPEC. Has any other country besides China invested even a dime in the CPEC project?

Sabi | 8 years ago | Reply No doubt Pakistan is going to be a great economic power . Democracy will bear fruit.

Saeed Masood | 8 years ago | Reply India please stop Terrorism against CPEC and try to become the member of this club, jealousy and terrorism will doom you, this is the decision of God in favour of Pakistan.

Shuaib Bhat | 8 years ago | Reply PPP, PMLN, JI, PkMAP, BNP and JUI-F should all get together and try to get a census. PTI iwill never agree so just ignore them.

NKAli | 8 years ago | Reply Like the PPP, the PMLN loves to throw dust in the peoples' eyes. Do we have the physical infrastructure or the human capacity to handle such investment largess? The sooner we drop our orthodox thinking and get down to establishing vocational schools, colleges, and research universities...the better off Pakistan will be. Right now we are immersed in the ghosts of our dismal medieval past. Salams https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/4ad4eec3-8c84-3f7a-a049-ba086b6ef750/the-crisis-in-muslim.html

kamal | 8 years ago | Reply Sob, Sob for India. The damn Himalayas and POK stop them from being the Southern conduit.

Feroz | 8 years ago | Reply "The plan is to connect three engines of growth – South Asia, China and Central Asian Republics and aligning it with the entire South, Northern and North-Western regions." This can never happen as long as Pakistan shelters terror assets that target its neighbors and scuttles every effort at trade connectivity between countries of South Asia. A scenario from a dream world, not reality.

Sabi | 8 years ago | Reply As I have said it in my earlier posts the infrastructure development would bring in hundreds of billions of dollars of investment in Pakistan. There it goes! Eid Mubarik to everyone.

Vectra | 8 years ago | Reply Hmm good but one question,it says attracting $150 billion investment but didn't said who will invest such high amount.

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