ISLAMABAD: Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping would soon visit Pakistan to kick off the $45 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project despite controversies being hatched against shared development of the two countries.

Speaking at a news conference, he declined to confirm dates for the high-profile visit. Since discussions about the visit came to light, he said, people with vested interests had once again launched propaganda against the strategic project. He claimed that the project would be a ‘fate changer’ for the two nations.

Also read: Positive indication about Chinese president’s Pakistan trip

The minister said that for the first time the two countries had decided to convert their friendly relations into long-standing economic relations under a shared vision aimed at transforming Pakistan into a critical player linking the three billion people of South Asia, China and Central Asia.

He said some powers wanted to stop Pakistan from achieving this role and started raising objections to make the project controversial. “2015 will be the kick-off year of China-Pakistan economic cooperation,” he added.

Mr Iqbal said the CPEC was not just a road and rail project as viewed by some quarters; it was a multi-dimensional cooperation plan involving energy, infrastructure and trade linkages.

He said Pakistan could not develop any significant energy project over the past 14 years, but the CPEC envisaged energy projects of 16,000MW worth $34 billion, excluding infrastructure projects. After consultations projects worth $11bn have been selected for completion in three to four years.

Minister says vested interests have launched propaganda against strategic project

He claimed that a controversy created by some elements that China was not making any investment but extending loans had led to postponement of the Chinese president’s visit in September.

He said that all the energy and infrastructure projects were based on public-private partnership and involved investment, and not loans. He rejected a perception that China was being given special treatment or benefits and said same incentives were available to all companies from other countries, including Europe and the Middle East.

He said the Chinese leadership wanted to show confidence in Pakistan by making huge investments at a time when no other country was ready to invest, but even this friendly gesture was being made controversial. He alleged that some lobbies had started floating concocted maps to create confusion in the minds of the people.

ROUTE NOT CHANGED: The minister dismissed speculations a change had been made in the route of the corridor. He said the CPEC would link Gwadar with China, Central Asia and some other countries bordering China and Afghanistan. The Gwadar port could become commercially viable only if it had multiple links with upcountry, in addition to its outward linkage with China.

Ahsan Iqbal said three different routes were currently being pursued by also taking advantage of some existing roads. The first route includes Gwadar-Punjgoor-Quetta-Zhob-Dera Ismail Khan; the second links Gwadar with Ratodero-Sukkur, Muzaffargarh-D.I. Khan and Kohat; and the third links Sukkur with Lahore so that an industrial port planned for Gwadar could become feasible. A part of the Karachi-Lahore motorway would also be linked with the Multan-Sukkur portion, he added.

In reply to a question, the minister said the 10 coal-based projects of 660MW each proposed for Gadani were not part of the first phase planned for completion by 2017-18 because it involved development of a jetty and a transmission line which might take 10 years or so.

As part of the corridor project, he said, the railway signal system form Karachi to Peshawar would be upgraded to increase its speed from the existing 80km per hour to about 120-140km.

The provincial governments had been taken into confidence on the planning and implementation of the CPEC, the minister added.

Published in Dawn February 7th , 2015

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