China will help Pakistan generate 10,000 megawatt (MW) through different projects, said Wang Shaofeng, the director general of Three Gorges Project Corporation. The corporation has built the world's biggest hydropower-complex project 'Three Gorges'.

At a briefing to Pakistani reporters visiting China on the invitation of Radio China International on Sunday, Mr Shaofeng said under China-Pakistan collaboration, a number of Chinese experts were working in Pakistan on scores of power projects.

He said solar energy projects had also been initiated in Pakistan by China and a 720MW Kohala project would be completed at the cost of $2 billion. The director said the Kohala project should have been approved in May 2009 by the Economic Coordination Committee but “We were told that due to negative propaganda by the media it got delayed for two years”.

He said the Three Gorges Project now belonged to the world but Pakistan being the close friend of China would be given priority to resolve its energy crisis.

“If the Pak-Chinese friendship does not turn into an economic friendship, I think it is of no good,” said Mr Shaofeng.

He said China was interested in investing Pakistan and a number of agreements had been signed between the two sides.

Sha Xianhua, vice president of the corporation, said China would always encourage investment in Pakistan in projects.

The delegation visited the site of Three Gorges. The project covers 3,800 kilometres on the River Yangtze. Its power generation capacity is 22,500 MW and transmits power to 11 provinces. One of the major purposes of the project was to safe China from floods. The other purposes of the project were to protect environment, agriculture and horticulture sectors.

Opinion

Editorial

Reserved seats
Updated 15 May, 2024

Reserved seats

The ECP's decisions and actions clearly need to be reviewed in light of the country’s laws.
Secretive state
15 May, 2024

Secretive state

THERE is a fresh push by the state to stamp out all criticism by using the alibi of protecting national interests....
Plague of rape
15 May, 2024

Plague of rape

FLAWED narratives about women — from being weak and vulnerable to provocative and culpable — have led to...
Privatisation divide
Updated 14 May, 2024

Privatisation divide

How this disagreement within the government will sit with the IMF is anybody’s guess.
AJK protests
14 May, 2024

AJK protests

SINCE last week, Azad Jammu & Kashmir has been roiled by protests, fuelled principally by a disconnect between...
Guns and guards
14 May, 2024

Guns and guards

THERE are some flawed aspects to our society that we must start to fix at the grassroots level. One of these is the...