Finally the much awaited trip
of the Chinese president has been planned for this week. What could not be
achieved last year due to chaotic political ploys of the opposition party is
about to materialize. The loss that has been suffered economically cannot be
denied, however the urge to move forward is strong. With this motivation the
current regime has associated an enhanced and upgraded bilateral arrangement
that would boost the Pakistani economy and aid the developmental project to a
great degree.
The upcoming visit of Chinese president Xi Jinping to Pakistan is of great
significance as important bilateral agreements of billions of dollars are
expected to be signed. This would further expand and deepen the relations
between China and Pakistan. It is believed that the Chinese president will meet
president, prime minister, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chairman Joint Chiefs
of Staff during the visit. He is also expected to meet leaders of the mainstream
political parties of Pakistan. The Chinese president is expected to sign various
agreements in various fields including communication, energy and broadcast. He
will also inaugurate Gwadar Port, Pak-China Economic Corridor, One Belt One Road
and various other projects.
Another important deal would be signing of a prisoner-exchange treaty enabling
both the countries to transfer convicted prisoners on a reciprocal basis. The
accord for the exchange of prisoners would be signed by the two countries during
the visit of the Chinese president. According to officials who prepared the
draft of the proposed “Exchange of Prisoners Agreement” claim that they have
already sent the final draft of the treaty to the foreign affairs ministry.
Keeping in mind that around 425 to 450 Pakistani citizens are currently interned
in various jails of China, this becomes a very important issue. Most of them
have been charged under offences like drug trafficking, human smuggling or visa
overstay. According to interior and foreign affairs ministry officials, seven
Chinese citizens are serving sentences in Pakistani jails. It is believed the
treaty would benefit the Pakistani prisoners languishing in Chinese prisons.
The Pakistani and Chinese officials have been busy finalizing the drafts of
various agreements to be signed during the visit of the Chinese president. The
Pakistani authorities are very cautious and have gunned the pedal for the
security of thr Chinese President. They are making sure that nothing goes wrong
this time. Nothing ought to jeopardize or disrupt the beginning of
Pakistan-China economic corridor. The Chinese president would formally open this
corridor from a location not be disclosed due to security concerns. Another
significance attached to this visit is that it comes in the wake of the visit by
US President Barack Obama to India last month.
President Xi will hold talks over defence, energy and other fields with the top
Pakistani leaders and inaugurate energy projects to be carried out with the
investment of Chinese companies. Last year, China promised Pakistan investment
worth $42 billion in various fields as Islamabad and Beijing had signed 19
agreements and memorandum mostly related to energy sector. The new agreements
paved the way for Chinese State-owned companies to help build at least four new
power stations in Pakistan, while the deals also cover the supply and mining of
coal in a bid to help Pakistan overcome its chronic electricity crisis. The
deals signed between China and Pakistan are worth $42 billion and the whole
investment is being made by China, Pakistan has for decades been China's closest
ally in South Asia, and Beijing is a major trading partner and key supplier of
military technology to Islamabad. Pakistan borders the far-western Chinese
region of Xinjiang, which has seen a series of clashes and attacks on civilians
that have left more than 200 dead in the past year.
Beijing blames some of the region's violence on an organised terrorist group it
calls the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) seeking independence for the
region, home to the mostly Muslim Uighur minority. On the other hand, people of
Pakistan anxious for the Chinese President's visit to give shape and directions
to a number of landmark projects, which are necessary for Pakistan's economy.
These agreements envisaged an initial investment of $34 billion the China-Pak
Economic Corridor Support Project (CPECSP) approved by CDWP. A number of new
agreements/MoUs between Pakistan and China in the fields of energy,
infrastructure, manufacturing, Railways, communication, information, media,
culture etc were ready to be signed.
The Economic Corridor project become very significant after Pakistan gave
control of its deep Gwadar port to China's State-owned China Overseas Ports
Holding in February 2013.Built by Chinese workers and opened in 2007, Gwadar is
undergoing a major expansion to turn it into a full-fledged transshipment hub to
cater for the needs of landlocked Central Asian Republics. Pakistan and China
have also signed agreements for constructing an international airport at Gwadar,
upgrading a section of the 1,300-kilometre Karakorum Highway connecting China to
Islamabad and laying a fibre-optic cable from the Chinese border to Rawalpindi.
In the energy sector 14 power projects including hydel, wind and coal projects
with total investment of 15.5 billion dollars and a total production capacity of
10400 mega watts were likely to be signed during the visit.
Besides, projects having total production capacity of 6,120 mega watts are also
contemplated to be installed with a total investment of 18.3 billion dollars.
China is also pouring its investment into alternative energy production.
Bahawalpur solar park in the South Asia and 100 mw wind energy project-II are
under construction in this sector. The projects for the construction of
Lahore-Karachi Motorway and the Raikot-Islamabad section, necessary for the
construction of Bhasha Dam are also to be signed during the visit of President
Xi Jinpang. Another Railway project for the expansion and reconstruction of
existing line ML-1 having a length of 1736 km and Havelian Dry port are also to
be constructed with Chinese investment at a cost of $3.7 billion. Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif has recently inaugurated construction of Pak- China motorway. The
Chinese had also agreed to invest in the establishment of economic zone, an
optical fiber cable project and in the field of communications at a total cost
of US$ 1.64 billion dollars.
Pakistan is in dire need of developmental projects and upgradation. In this
backdrop the visit of the Chinese presidents helps us in actualizing this state
of economic uplift and move towards a definitely progressive direction. Pakistan
has always had exemplary relations with its neighbor China. This kind of
outstanding closeness has been possible only due to a long term and consistent
goodwill that both countries have extended towards each other. This will be
further strengthened after this very significant visit InshaAllah!