Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "China–Pakistan Economic Corridor" in English language version.
China's ambition to revive an ancient trading route stretching from Asia to Europe could leave an economic legacy bigger than the Marshall Plan or the European Union's enlargement, according to a new analysis.
include bonded warehouses, manufacturing, international purchasing, transit and distribution transshipment, commodity display and supporting services and where the federal, provincial and local taxes
110 billion Pakistani Rupees = US$1.05 billion as of 3 Feb 2016
The minister said out of the total investment of US$46 billion, US$38 billion would be spent on energy-related projects which were on independent power producer (IPP) mode and would not increase the burden of national debt.
state-owned Nalco signed an MoU to look at possibility of setting up a 0.5 million tonne aluminium smelter at Chabahar free trade zone provided Iran gives cheap natural gas.
Similarly, in Uzbekistan, the plan to develop train lines from Tashkent through Ferghana to Kyrgyzstan points to a project that will help develop faster train links across Central Asia to China.
Pakistan will facilitate Afghan exports to India through Wagha. Afghan cargo will be off loaded on to Indian trucks back to back at Wagha and the trucks on return will not carry Indian Exports.
But India's additional investment pales in comparison to China's pledge of $46 billion to develop the Pakistani port of Gwadar, not even 125 miles [200 km] from Chabahar, along with an accompanying network of railways, pipelines, and roads to connect with western China.
"Dr Nadeem-ul-Haque was deputy chairman of the Planning Commission – saying it would reverse a colossal loss of 3.5pc of GDP that Pakistan was incurring due to poor transport infrastructure.
Pakistani Govt announces no load-shedding at 5297 feeders across Pakistan.
The offer to cooperate had first been extended to Pakistan and then China, implying neither had expressed interest, he said while speaking on Pakistan-Iran relations at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad (ISSI)
"India is ready to invest Rs 2 lakh crore at Chabahar SEZ in Iran but the investments would depend on gas prices as India wants it to be lowered," Gadkari said... On talks on supply of natural gas, Gadkari said that Iran has offered gas to India at $2.95 per million British thermal unit to set up urea plant at the Chabahar port but India is negotiating the gas price, demanding lowering the same... India, which imports around 8–9 million tonnes of the nitrogenous fertiliser, is negotiating for a price of $1.5 per mm [million] Btu with the Persian Gulf nation in a move which if successful will see a significant decline in the country's Rs 80,000 crore subsidy for the soil nutrient.
According to the provisional deal, IPGPL will refurbish a 640-meter (2,100-foot) container handling facility through the deployment of new equipment, including four rail-mounted gantry cranes, 16 rubber-tire gantry cranes, two reach stackers, and two empty handlers. For the rebuilding of a 600-meter (1,969-foot) multi-purpose berth at Chabahar, Indian authorities will invest in six mobile harbor cranes, 10 forklifts, and 10 trailers.
MoU between EXIM Bank and Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization [PMO] on current specific terms for the Chabahar Port project. This MoU is intended for the purpose of credit of USD 150 million for Chabahar port. Mr. Yaduvendra Mathur, Chairman, EXIM Bank H. E. Mr. Saeednejad, Chairman of Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran.
6. Bilateral contract on Chabahar Port for port development and operations between IPGPL [India Ports Global Private Limited] and Arya Banader of Iran. The contract envisages development and operation for 10 years of two terminals and 5 berths with cargo handling [multipurpose and general] capacities.
Confirmation Statement between EXIM Bank and Central Bank of Iran This confirms the availability of credit up to INR 3000 crore for the import of steel rails and implementation of Chabahar port.
MoU between IRCON and Construction, Development of Transport and Infrastructure Company (CDTIC) of Iran MoU will enable IRCON to provide requisite services for the construction of Chabahar-Zahedan railway line which forms part of transit and transportation corridor in trilateral agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan. Services to be provided by IRCON include all superstructure work and financing the project (around USD 1.6 billion).
Lt. General Amer Riaz, the powerful military commander who watches over Balochistan, is tasked with ensuring that Gwadar, CPEC and Pakistan's Chinese benefactors survive security threats. He tried to assuage these concerns. 'There is going to be no deprivation of the locals,' he said. 'Folks here have the first right to everything. We must ensure that there is transparency and justice in this very critical and expensive project.'
In addition, the Authority did not include the transportation or beneficiation cost required for Salt Range in the assumed price of US$86.95/t (assuming the per Mm [million] btu price of Thar coal). Since the 6/20 Petitioner has assumed an average of 50 km transportation distance from the coal mines to the power plant, the transportation costs will work out to be US$13.5, assuming the transportation cost of US$0.27/t/km approved for Thar coal. This plus the assumed levelized beneficiation cost of US$11/t required for Salt Range coal, will work out to be US$111.45/t. From the above analysis, it is clear that in light of the approved coal price for Thar Coal, and the much smaller production scale and additional transportation & beneficiation costs required for Salt Range coal, the Petitioner's assumed coal price US$111.86/t in its tariff petition is reasonable and justified.
Ahmed Safee, a research fellow at the ISSI, quoted the Iranian envoy as saying that the deal is still on the table for both Pakistan and China, assuring that 'Chabahar is not a rival to Gwadar'. The ambassador added that both are sister ports, and Chabahar port authorities would extend cooperation to Gwadar. "The deal is not finished. We are waiting for new members. Pakistan, our brotherly neighbours and China, a great partner of the Iranians and a good friend of Pakistan, are both welcome," said the envoy.
Nine months on, Chabahar seems dead in the water: The Indian and Iranian governments are now squabbling over delays, even as newly-elected US president Donald Trump's hawkish stance towards Tehran threatens to hamstring the project. The ongoing diplomatic finger-pointing is a curious affair. Indian officials insist that New Delhi has $150 million ready for disbursement but the Iranians haven't completed the paperwork necessary to release the funds, The Economic Times newspaper reported. The Iranians told the newspaper that the delay was from the Indian side, without explaining further.
From Havelian to Shah Maqsood Interchange, the proposed alignment of CPEC will overlap with the alignment of E-35. This section will be 15 km long and undertaken with ADB assistance as 4-Lane Motorway with 6-Lane structures... Shah Maqsood Interchange – Islamabad section will be 50 km long and constructed along a new alignment as 4-Lane Motorway with 6-Lane structures.
"Shinkiari – Mansehra – Abbottabad section will be 50 km long and constructed as 4-Lane Expressway... Abbottabad – Havelian section will be 11 km in length and constructed as 4-Lane Motorway with 6-Lane structures." | Portion between Abbottabad and Havelian is now to be a dual carriageway rather than motorway.
Raikot – Thakot section will be 280 km in length and constructed as a 2-Lane highway along a new alignment... Thakot – Shinkiari section will be 74 km in length wherein existing 2-Lane KKH will be upgraded and improved.
Raikot – Thakot section (2-Lane) 255.8 km; Feasibility Study Completed by Chinese Side. However, the Alignment falls under the Four Dams planned by WAPDA, namely; Bhasha, Dasu, Pattan, and Thakot. The Road construction is planned to commensurate with Dam Construction activities. In the meanwhile, the existing KKH is being improved in its present condition.
Nepra has notified upfront tariff of 8.5015 cents/unit for Thar coal-based power projects of 330 megawatts on foreign financing, while tariff for similar capacity projects on local financing has been fixed at 9.5643cents/unit. The upfront tariff will be 8.3341 cents/unit for coal-fired power projects of 660 megawatts on foreign financing, while tariff for similar capacity projects on local financing has been fixed at 9.5668 cents/unit. The upfront tariff will be 7.9889 cents/unit for power projects of 1,099 megawatts on foreign financing, while tariff for similar capacity projects on local financing has been fixed at 9.1368 cents/unit.
The production of remaining 660 megawatts from block-II will begin by the end of 2018 or by the beginning of 2019 while the mining and energy projects in block-I and block-VI of Thar will also reach their financial close this year," said the official.
The CPEC may be a bilateral endeavour, but New Delhi cannot ignore its spillover effects on regional governance. The inequities in the China-Pakistan relationship and the nature of proposed Chinese investment in the CPEC merit a comparison with the Marshall Plan, the most successful foreign assistance project of the 20th century.
In a major move, the ECC approved a complete income tax holiday for 23 years to businesses that will be established in the Gwadar Free Zone... / A 23-year exemption from sales tax and federal excise duty has also been granted to businesses that will be established inside the Gwadar Free Zone. However, if these businesses make supplies and sales outside the free zone, they will be subject to taxation.
Under the move, the concession will extend to contractors and subcontractors and COPHCL companies for 20 years.
Pakistan approved customs duty exemption for the COPHCL, its operating companies, contractors and subcontractors for a period of 40 years on import of equipment, materials, plants, machinery, appliances, and accessories for the construction of Gwadar Port and the associated Free Zone.
700 Billion Pak rupees = US$6.6 billion as of 16 December 2015
The cost of electricity for the initial 10 years will be 8.5 cents per unit and when the loan period ends, the cost will come down to 6 cents per unit.
According to the project documents, the cost of upgrading Pakistan Railways existing Mainline (ML-I) and establishment of a dry port near Havelian is $8.2 billion, which the Chinese government will finance with a $7 billion concessionary loan.
During a visit to Pakistan in the middle of this month, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon praised the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), insisting the project would facilitate economic and trade links between Pakistan and Tajikistan as well as other Central Asian states. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, on his part, made an offer to Tajikistan to use Pakistan's seaports for imports and exports as these provide the shortest route for movement of goods. The premier backed Tajikistan's request for being part of the Quadrilateral Agreement on Traffic in Transit among China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Pakistan – an arrangement that will further improve regional connectivity.
Honardost went on to say that Pakistan and China were offered to join the Chahbahar port development deal before India. However, both Pakistan and China did not show any interest, he added.
Official documents show that acts of terrorism as well as sectarian and targeted killings have gone down by 50 per cent in Balochistan over the last two years under Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch's administration.
include bonded warehouses, manufacturing, international purchasing, transit and distribution transshipment, commodity display and supporting services and where the federal, provincial and local taxes
110 billion Pakistani Rupees = US$1.05 billion as of 3 Feb 2016
In addition, the Authority did not include the transportation or beneficiation cost required for Salt Range in the assumed price of US$86.95/t (assuming the per Mm [million] btu price of Thar coal). Since the 6/20 Petitioner has assumed an average of 50 km transportation distance from the coal mines to the power plant, the transportation costs will work out to be US$13.5, assuming the transportation cost of US$0.27/t/km approved for Thar coal. This plus the assumed levelized beneficiation cost of US$11/t required for Salt Range coal, will work out to be US$111.45/t. From the above analysis, it is clear that in light of the approved coal price for Thar Coal, and the much smaller production scale and additional transportation & beneficiation costs required for Salt Range coal, the Petitioner's assumed coal price US$111.86/t in its tariff petition is reasonable and justified.
According to the provisional deal, IPGPL will refurbish a 640-meter (2,100-foot) container handling facility through the deployment of new equipment, including four rail-mounted gantry cranes, 16 rubber-tire gantry cranes, two reach stackers, and two empty handlers. For the rebuilding of a 600-meter (1,969-foot) multi-purpose berth at Chabahar, Indian authorities will invest in six mobile harbor cranes, 10 forklifts, and 10 trailers.
"India is ready to invest Rs 2 lakh crore at Chabahar SEZ in Iran but the investments would depend on gas prices as India wants it to be lowered," Gadkari said... On talks on supply of natural gas, Gadkari said that Iran has offered gas to India at $2.95 per million British thermal unit to set up urea plant at the Chabahar port but India is negotiating the gas price, demanding lowering the same... India, which imports around 8–9 million tonnes of the nitrogenous fertiliser, is negotiating for a price of $1.5 per mm [million] Btu with the Persian Gulf nation in a move which if successful will see a significant decline in the country's Rs 80,000 crore subsidy for the soil nutrient.
Pakistan will facilitate Afghan exports to India through Wagha. Afghan cargo will be off loaded on to Indian trucks back to back at Wagha and the trucks on return will not carry Indian Exports.
Pakistan faces significant economic, governance and security challenges to achieve durable development outcomes. The persistence of conflict in the border areas and security challenges throughout the country affect all aspects of life in Pakistan and impedes development.
