CPEC: Here is what China is planning for Pakistan

The plan comprehensively outlines the Chinese objectives in its ally's territory for the next decade and half with main focus being on agriculture and industry.

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Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China. (Pool Photo via AP)

With the first One Road, One Belt (OROB) forum coming to a close, the long term plan for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been released in the public domain. The contentious CPEC was the primary reason due to which India decided to boycott the summit as it traversed through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

According to the Dawn, which has accessed the full report, the plan comprehensively outlines the Chinese objectives in its ally’s territory for the next decade and half with main focus being on agriculture. A large number of projects and plans are being planned to facilitate and boost the agricultural sector in Pakistan. This is contrary to the image of CPEC, which is usually considered as a massive industrial and transport undertaking, involving power plants and highways. It is also reported that thousands of acres of agricultural land will be leased out to Chinese firms in order to establish “demonstration projects” in areas ranging from seed varieties to irrigation technology.

Watch: Opinion | CPEC: Chinese Colonisation of Pakistan?

As per the plan, the government of China will “actively strive to utilize the national special funds as the discount interest for the loans of agricultural foreign investment” and mitigate the financial risk via “new types of financing such as consortium loans, joint private equity and joint debt issuance, raise funds via multiple channels and decentralise financing risks”.

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A comprehensive mechanism of surveillance system will also be established in cities from Peshawar to capital city Karachi, with special focus towards maintaining law and order by installing 24 hour video recordings on roads and busy marketplaces.

In a bid to extend more cooperation in the field of broadcasting and internet, a national fibreoptic backbone will be built for the country. This will include internet traffic as well as terrestrial distribution of broadcast television, which is reportedly cooperate with Chinese media in the “dissemination of Chinese culture”.

With an aim to boost Pakistan’s dwindling economy, the plan also stipulates broad-based penetration of most sectors of the country’s economy by Chinese enterprises. This comprises of cashing in on already established market presence by Chinese firms such as Haier in household appliances, ChinaMobile and Huawei in telecommunications and China Metallurgical Group Corporation in mining and minerals.

The plan laid out in considerable detail about the development of a “coastal tourism” industry, which would include yacht wharfs, cruise homeports, nightlife, city parks, public squares, theaters, golf courses and spas, hot spring hotels and water sports. However, the plan also said, “more work needs to be done” before this vision can be realized.

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Among other highlights, the plan also proposed the building of infrastructure and a supporting policy environment to infuse fresh entry in field of textiles and garments, cement, fertiliser and agricultural technologies. The creation of special economic zones and industrial parks is considered as vital for it and as per the plan it “must meet specified conditions, including availability of water…perfect infrastructure, sufficient supply of energy and the capacity of self service power.”

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