Re: Analyzing CPEC
Posted: 07 Jul 2018 06:27
Does he still fondly remember his sojourn in India as a POW?
Consortium of Indian Defence Websites
https://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/
Does he still fondly remember his sojourn in India as a POW?
REQUEST FOR HELP : I cannot Copy and Paste Articles in Times of India and Economic Times. Request Advice - Thanks in Advance.BEIJING: China and Myanmar are close to signing an agreement on the establishment of a China-Myanmar economic corridor along the lines of the controversial China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)). Once launched, the project will unleash a huge influx of Chinese funds to Myanmar, which can further weaken the Indian influence on the eastern neighbor.
Not only the NHA, but the whole accursed country is in a financial squeeze !ISLAMABAD: A number of road projects related to the $52 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are said to be in doldrums as the National Highway Authority (NHA) faces financial crisis.
And the cheque bouncing will have a "multiplier effect" down the Paki food chainSources told Dawn that contractors have stopped work on several CPEC projects after their cheques worth over Rs5 billion had bounced a couple of days ago.
You have to take this statement with a grain of salt !It is for the first time that CPEC projects faced such a situation because of financial reasons.
The projects which have been hit by the situation include Hakla-Dera Ismail Khan, Western Route of CPEC and all sections of Karachi-Lahore Motorway (KLM).
. And this in turn will have an effect on family livelihood etc etc !According to the sources, seven packages of Hakla-DIK measuring 400km roads all projects of KLM have been affected. The firms whose cheques have bounced include SKB, ZKB, Noman Construction, ACGC Chinese, Sardar Ashraf D Baloch, China Railway 17 Group and Matracon. The sources said that not only the CPEC projects but local industries related to construction and a large workforce of engineers and labourers have also been hit by the situation.
The IMF will take a long hard look at the "whole CPEC business" before they agree to release US Dollars to the hungry PakisWhen contacted, NHA spokesman Kashif Zaman said the authority issued cheques of Rs5bn on June 29 to the firms against the sanction by the government.He said cheques worth Rs1.5bn were cleared by the same day and “the remaining cheques that were deposited the next day could not be cleared”.Mr Zaman said the matter had been taken up with the government and hopefully it would be resolved soon.
In Pakiland, talk is cheap !When asked about suspension of work by the contractors, he said: “The progress on the project had not been affected. Same is true for Hazara Motorway and other sections.” He said most of the projects in question would be completed by December 2018.
PS: Some readers are blaming "all weather friend" China for this ! Not knowing that there is "no free lunch"However, it has been learnt that the CPEC projects would be delayed further if the situation continues and outstanding dues of contractors are not paid.
The buzz word of "early harvest" crops up againThe report from the Wall Street Journal severely deviates from the facts. As a major pilot project of Belt and Road Initiative, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has achieved great progress in the last 5 years. CPEC has effectively alleviated energy crisis and infrastructure shortage which are considered as two bottlenecks in Pakistan's development, and played a positive role in maintaining the relatively high economic growth in Pakistan. As an early harvest project in CPEC, the Lahore Orange Line project has been widely welcomed by the Pakistani government and people, creating a large number of job opportunities. After the completion, it will greatly ease the traffic congestion in Lahore and provide people with affordable energy-saving transportation.
The debt trap policy is already achieved in Sri - Lanka and other nations !The report stated that CPEC led to the debt crisis of Pakistan. This is a highly irresponsible statement that fails to reflect the reality. According to data released by the Pakistani government, 42% of foreign debt of Pakistan is from multilateral financial institutions, 18% of the debt is from Paris Club. Chinese preferential loans only account for only 10% of whole foreign debt, and offer a much lower rate than commercial bank loans. From this perspective, even if there is a so-called "debt trap", the initiator is not China. As to the people who fabricated the lie that the so-called "debt trap" in Pakistan is caused by CPEC, if they are unable to offer tangible assistance to Pakistan, they can at least try to put the sincere cooperation between other countries in perspective.
The Paki traders and domestic manufacturers are expressing the fear that cheap Chini goods would flood the local market !The cooperation under CPEC has always adhered to the principles of mutual benefit, equality and reciprocity, follows the golden rules of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. The planning and implementation of the CPEC has been discussed by the both sides in the open. No country is dominating the process. Both sides have an equal say. Firmly promoting CPEC is an across-party national consensus in Pakistan and received the wholehearted support from the Pakistani people. We believe that the CPEC will be advanced in a steady manner in accordance with the consensus reached by China and Pakistan without being disturbed by other factors. We hope that relevant media reports could respect the truth, take off their tinted glasses, and make more objective, unbiased and all-sided reports. Their readers deserve the true story.
Former Iran Foreign Minister Kharrazi says at Tsinghua forum that Iran ultimately wants to connect Chabahar to Gwadar
Why China is watching Pakistan elections closely
Beijing has said it will work closely with the new government in Islamabad.
25-07-2018
Ananth KrishnanANANTH KRISHNAN @ananthkrishnan
China is watching closely as Pakistan comes out to vote on July 25 and counting happens on July 26 because Beijing believes its $62 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) could be at stake.
When China launched the "flagship" of its massive Belt and Road Initiative, it was banking on CPEC transforming Pakistan and providing a boost to the Nawaz Sharif government.
In fact, an internal assessment conducted before Sharif's dismissal by Renmin University of China concluded that a government under the former chief minister would best ensure the project's progress, expressing concern about his weakening domestic position after the Panama Papers revelations.
"If there are no exceptions, the chances for PML-N (Sharif's party) to reassume power are high, and the continuation of the government can guarantee the continuation and support of the government to CPEC," the 2016 report said.
That assumption, however, was proved wrong. During the campaign, Imran Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) criticised the outgoing government over lack of transparency in many CPEC projects and alleged corruption.
Details that have come to light recently have underlined the extraordinarily favourable terms that Pakistan has agreed to. A Wall Street Journal report on July 22 revealed that Chinese power companies had been given a guarantee of an astounding 34 per cent annual return on their investments in CPEC projects, to be paid by the Pakistan government in dollars.
This even as Pakistan's finances have teetered on the brink of a crisis, with suggestions that the new government will be forced to seek an International Monetary Fund bailout and its foreign exchange reserves dwindling.
On the eve of the election on Tuesday, China's Foreign Ministry said it believed no matter what the election results, it would work with the new Pakistani government closely.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said: "We believe the construction of CPEC will move forward according to the consensus reached by the two sides and will not be affected by other factors."
China would work with the new government to ensure that was the case, he said. "We would like to work together with the new government to deepen practical cooperation and move forward our all-weather strategic partnership," he said.
Beijing also defended the CPEC against the criticism. "The CPEC is a framework for strategic cooperation with eyes on long-term development of the two countries. It will help Pakistan develop and elevate cooperation between the two sides."
He added: "The corridor has played an important role in advancing the social and economic development of Pakistan. It enjoys the full support of Pakistani people and the government."
That, however, hasn't appeared to be the case during the hard-fought election campaign where China's projects, unusually, came under the spotlight
And now this...word of "advice" from the chini blothels:chetak wrote:Snippets...
China bet big on Nawaz Sharif.
"If there are no exceptions, the chances for PML-N (Sharif's party) to reassume power are high, and the continuation of the government can guarantee the continuation and support of the government to CPEC," the 2016 report said.
During the campaign, Imran Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) criticised the outgoing government over lack of transparency in many CPEC projects and alleged corruption.
A Wall Street Journal report on July 22 revealed that Chinese power companies had been given a guarantee of an astounding 34 per cent annual return on their investments in CPEC projects, to be paid by the Pakistan government in dollars.
Global Times, a widely criculated English Daily in China, said in an article that new government in Pakistan would continue continue contributing to promote the CPEC despite "Western media" hyping Imran Khan's reservations about the project". (Refer to WSJ article)
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/34701 ... imran-khan"It is also foreseeable in the future that Western countries and media will continue to make an issue of the corridor and Chinese investment in Pakistan in an attempt to drive a wedge between China and Pakistan. The new Pakistan government should be particular wise to this," said an article in the paper. (Ouch!)
From here:CNBC Exclusive: CNBC Transcript: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Speaks with CNBC’s Michelle Caruso-Cabrera Today
Published 6:29 PM ET Mon, 30 July 2018
WHEN: Today, Monday, July 30, 2018
WHERE: CNBC's "Closing Bell"
The following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC EXCLUSIVE interview with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera on CNBC's "Closing Bell" (M-F 3 – 5PM) today, Monday, July 30th. The following is a link to video of the interview on CNBC.com: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/07/30/s ... tml?play=1 ……………
MICHELLE CARUSO-CABRERA: One of the countries that's really gorged on One Belt, One Road is Pakistan. So much so they've taken on all kinds of debt. They might actually have to go to the IMF, the International Monetary Fund, for a bailout because they've taken on so much Chinese debt. The IMF is funded by U.S. taxpayer dollars. Many other countries as well, but if they go to the IMF for a bailout, there's a chance that U.S. taxpayer dollars are going to go towards Chinese directed companies as-- as part of that bailout. Are you concerned about that? Are you monitoring that?
MIKE POMPEO: So two thoughts. First, there's new leadership in Pakistan and we welcome engagement with them in a way that we think will benefit each of our two countries. Second-- make no mistake-- we will be watching what the IMF does. There's no rationale for IMF tax dollars-- and associated with that, American dollars that are part of the IMF funding-- for those to go to bail out Chinese bondholders or-- or China itself.
China is building a very 21st century empire—one where trade and debt lead the way, not armadas and boots on the ground. If President Xi Jinping’s ambitions become a reality, Beijing will cement its position at the center of a new world economic order spanning more than half the globe. Already, China has extended its influence far beyond that of the Tang Dynasty’s golden age more than a millennium ago.
The most tangible manifestation of Xi’s designs is the new Silk Road he first proposed in 2013. The enterprise morphed into the “Belt and Road” initiative, a mix of foreign policy, economic strategy, and charm offensive that, nurtured by a torrent of Chinese money, is rebalancing global political and economic alliances.
Clicky"We have told China multiple times to shun plundering Baloch resources and refrain from becoming part of any Pakistani designs. We have asked China time and again to take their engineers and workers out of Balochistan. However, China never paid heed to our justified demands", said Rehan Baloch in a video message issued from an undisclosed location in Balochistan.
In his message, Rehan accused that 'with China's help, Pakistan has intensified its offensive against Baloch nation and thousands have been killed and their villages destroyed in Pakistani military operations.
"China has also been providing arms, ammunition, funds and communication devices to Pakistan to use against Baloch national struggle. This is a serious crime both legally and morally with China's help. Pakistan has intensified its offensive against Baloch nation and thousands have been killed and hundreds of villages have been destroyed. During Pakistani military operation thousands of Baloch have been forced to leave their ancestral land to become refugees in Iran, Afghanistan and Middle East", said the young Baloch fighter, who appeared holding an automatic weapon.
"Through this act, I want to make China and its people realize that whosoever will try to meddle in Baloch issue without Baloch nation's consent, it will face the wrath of the Baloch nation," he added.
"It cannot be possible at all for a foreign country to plunder the precious natural resources and wealth of Baloch nation without any resistance when our people are deprived of basic necessities, China should immediately withdraw its investment and forces from Balochistan or else they will continue to face Baloch youth", said Rehan Baloch.
Chinese believe CPEC/BRI as 1000 year opportunity to reassert Chinese power and displace US... They also think CPEC will help contain common enemy India
Its a "hit many birds with one stone strategy", even thought it is economically short sighted
FireEye warns China's Belt and Road Initiative will spark uptick in cyberespionage
Researchers speculate the project will spawn cyberespionage activity on regional governments along these trade routes and will likely include the emergence of new threat groups.
Researchers speculate the project will spawn cyberespionage activity on regional governments along these trade routes and will likely include the emergence of new threat groups.
FireEye researchers are cautioning Malaysian organizations to be on the lookout for elevated cyberespionage attacks that could result from recent political developments concerning China's Belt & Road Initiative.
The “One Belt, One Road” or "Belt and Road Initiative" (BRI) is an ambitious, multi-year, $1 trillion USD endeavor to build land and maritime trade routes across Asia and parts of Africa into Europe to project China's influence across the greater region, according to an internal FireEye report provided to SC Media.
Researchers speculate the project will spawn cyberespionage activity on regional governments along these trade routes and will likely include the emergence of new threat groups and nation-state actors considering the geopolitical interests that will be affected by the endeavor.
“Malaysia's new government has called for renegotiation of the terms of some Belt & Road projects, which is likely to generate some uncertainty in parties interested in the outcome of these projects and other regional developments,” Sandra Joyce, vice president and head of global intelligence operations at FireEye. “We expect espionage activity against Malaysian organizations will increase in an attempt to gain insight into current events,” said in a release prepared for the firm's customers.
Joyce added that Malaysian organizations both in the public and private sector should take steps to strategically manage their risk by understanding who their potential enemies are and how they would likely target them.
Researchers speculate threat actors may look to use announcements on BRI progress as a lure material for phishing attacks and other future intrusions and have already witnessed indication of cyberespionage activity in areas concerning the project is increasing from regional and unattributed actors.
Will the chinese take care of the sanitation and cleaning all by themselves?China is building a city for 5,00,000 Chinese nationals at a cost of $150 million in Gwadar as part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. This will be the first such Chinese city in South Asia.
Only Chinese citizens will live in this gated zone, which basically means that Pakistan will be used as a colony of China.
chetak Ji :chetak wrote:@Peregrine saar,
These statements from the usually inscrutable hans are almost at panic levels.
eleven must be hurting real bad with internal dissensions building up and external loss of face from malayasia and surely some others contemplating similar actions.
The paki press has quietened somewhat after imran khan niazi has occupied the PM's gaddi.
CheersNEW DELHI: Amid Chinese inroads in Eastern Europe as part of its Belt Road Initiative, India is putting in plans in place to boost its economic partnership with the erstwhile Communist States and Southern Europe.
Chinese authorities choose projects “very carefully” and examine host country finances to make sure they can repay loans, said a deputy commerce minister, Qian Keming. However, he said they would welcome the participation of developed countries and international organizations to improve transparency and guarantee “high quality” projects.Examples of “China's Action in case the Debtor Nations are unable to Repay – Service their Chinese Debt:
Sighting land
1. The penalty that Sri Lanka had to pay was land, swapped along with operational control of the Hambantota Port, in exchange for the debt that they could no longer service.
2. In 2011, the government of Tajikistan announced that they had just concluded a deal with the government of China, ceding control of 1,100 square kilometres of mountainous land to the Chinese under the garb of settling a centuries-old border dispute. The agreement had been reached in 1999, but finalised precisely at a time when Tajikistan’s debt difficulties began. The territory represents one per cent of the country’s total land area.
Pakistan minister for human rights Shireen Mazari described the proposal as a "model for conflict resolution", adding that she had been working on it for quite some time.
"We will circulate it among all the stakeholders, including the prime minister and cabinet ministers. If the draft is approved, we will move forward on it", Mazari said.
China’s massive and expanding “Belt and Road” trade infrastructure project is running into speed bumps as some countries begin to grumble about being buried under Chinese debt.
But some are starting to wonder if it is worth the cost.
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, whose chief Imran Khan was installed prime minister in August after an election victory, has vowed more transparency amid fears about Islamabad’s ability to repay Chinese loans related to the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Meanwhile the exiled leader of the opposition in the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, has said China’s actions in the Indian Ocean archipelago amounted to a “land grab” and “colonialism”, with 80 per cent of its debt held by Beijing.
Sri Lanka has already paid a heavy price for being highly indebted to China. Last year, the island nation had to grant a 99-year lease on a strategic port to Beijing over its inability to repay loans for the $1.4bn project.
But a study by the Centre for Global Development, a US think-tank, found “serious concerns” about the sustainability of the sovereign debt in eight countries receiving Silk Road funds. Those were Pakistan, Djibouti, Maldives, Mongolia, Laos, Montenegro, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Not a free lunch
Comong from a baki newspaper, this amounts to a confession.China bristles at criticism. At a daily press briefing on Friday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying denied that Beijing was saddling its partners with onerous debt, saying that its loans to Sri Lanka and Pakistan were only a small part of those countries’ overall foreign debt.
In the first phase, Pakistan gave concessions on 5,686 tariff lines to China; while China gave concessions on 6,418 tariff lines. Chinese exports to Pakistan grew from $4.2 billion to around $12bn, whereas Pakistan’s exports to the country only moved up marginally from $0.6bn to $1.6bn.
Besides the terms of trade under the FTA, several other barriers to trade should be discussed, including sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to trade. These were not reviewed before the first phase of the agreement was signed.
Since Pakistan cannot become a member of the ASEAN, as member nations have reservations about its entry, China cannot grant the same trade favours to Pakistan which it has given to its ASEAN trading partners.
Furthermore, the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement, under which China continues to grant favourable trade terms to Bangladesh and India, is hampering Pakistan’s exports to China.
Moving on to the second phase of FTA negotiations with China. China wants zero import duties on 6,000 tariff lines instead of the original 2,600. This will be disastrous for Pakistan. Unfortunately, we do not have enough export surplus to ask for similar concessions from China.
Pakistan’s major export product is cotton and its made ups.
Another important export item is rice...China does not import basmati rice— the variety we produce in surplus.
When it comes to leather, China imports more from Thailand and Vietnam than from us.
China is importing marble, chrome and hides from Pakistan and selling finished products worldwide at much higher rates.
Thus, we do not have valuable commodities to export to China for the next three to four years, until we achieve high growth rates of cotton and rice.
To narrow the trade deficit with China, one option is to ask it to relocate its labour-intensive industries to Pakistan
Chinese imports of finished consumer products must be curbed through regulatory duties and quota barriers. They should be persuaded to assemble these products in Pakistan
https://www.dawn.com/news/1430640/why-w ... -china-ftaPakistan should be allowed to participate freely in Chinese exhibitions and trade fairs. Pakistani products must be given equal importance in such fairs.
A 55-year-old man was brutally tortured and humiliated in a village of district Mirpur of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) for allegedly defecating in a local mosque, police said.
The man was also accused of stealing wires, bulbs as well as taps from the mosque and its ablution area.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1430724/elder ... pur-mosqueSubsequently, his head, moustaches and eyebrows were shaved, and he was forced to wear a dog's collar and to bark like a dog, according to police. He was also paraded in the streets of the village while wearing a garland of shoes.
Peregrine wrote: President Xi claimed that there were no strings attached to the money
Peregrine wrote:President Xi claimed that there were no strings attached to the money
Neshant Ji :Neshant wrote:
China allows Nepal to use land, seaports for trade
China on Friday agreed to allow Nepal to use four of its seaports and three land ports for third-country trade reducing the landlocked country's dependence on India to conduct international commerce.
Nepal will be able to access Shenzen, Lianyungang, Zhanjiang and Tianjin, the latter being the nearest seaport at a distance of around 3,300 kms from the Nepalese border, according to foreign ministry sources here.
Similarly, Nepal has been allowed to use Lanzhou, Lhasa and Xigatse land ports (dry ports) as well. This will provide alternative routes for Nepal to carry out international trade.
Chinese authorities will provide permits to trucks and containers ferrying Nepal-bound cargo to and from Xigatse in Tibet, as per the new arrangement.
Nepal is in the middle of no where. If chinis want to dump in to india, Burma is much more easier and cheaper.jpremnath wrote:With the new railway lines and road connection bw China and Nepal, I wonder how we are gonna stop the sudden rush of Chinese goods coming through the porous Indo Nepalese borders. Its high time we put an end to the open border policy and treat them just like Bangladesh or Sri Lanka.
Now, more news on that from both sides.Peregrine wrote:Govt seeks to reset CPEC priorities - Shahbaz Rana
Pakistan and China on Tuesday refuted a report in a UK daily that the former is rethinking its role in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as it was "unfair", reported newspaper Dawn.
The article was carried by The Financial Times (FT) on Monday and was titled: "Pakistan rethinks its role in Xi's Belt and Road plan". It quoted a key adviser to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan as saying that CPEC "unfairly benefits Chinese companies," and adding that Pakistan must "put everything on hold for a year so we can get our act together".
A statement issued by Pakistan's commerce ministry said the Pakistan government "rejects the article especially the title." Radio Pakistan, the country's official broadcaster, also reported a government issued statement saying Pakistan and China will continue to work towards implementing ongoing CPEC projects and expand the initiative to new areas of cooperation.
"The statements attributed to adviser to the Prime Minister on commerce and textile have been taken out of context and distorted," the commerce ministry statement said, and it reiterated that CPEC is a "national priority for the government."
The statement from the Chinese embassy called the FT article "ill-intentioned" and "based on distorted and misquoted information."
There was a "firm consensus between China and Pakistan that CPEC is a mutually beneficial project and both governments will carry it forward according to the needs of Pakistan", said China through its embassy in Islamabad.
And far from putting anything on hold, Radio Pakistan said that there are even new areas that the two governments would work on, including "socio-economic development, poverty alleviation, anti-corruption, agricultural cooperation and industrial development." It said this resolve to expand the Pak-China partnership was reached during China's foreign minister's recent three-day visit to Pakistan.
However, Abdul Razak Dawood, Prime Minister Imran Khan's adviser on commerce, textile, industry & production and investment was quoted as saying quite the opposite to The Financial Times.
"The previous government did a bad job negotiating with China on CPEC - they didn't do their homework correctly and didn't negotiate correctly so they gave away a lot," said Dawood.
The Chinese are unfairly going to benefit more than Pakistan, said Dawood further.
"Chinese companies received tax breaks, many breaks and have an undue advantage in Pakistan; this is one of the things we're looking at because it's not fair that Pakistan companies should be disadvantaged," Dawood's quoted as saying.
He went further.
"I think we should put everything on hold for a year so we can get our act together...Perhaps we can stretch CPEC out over another five years or so," Dawood is quoted as saying. {Very damning}
His statements echoed PM Khan's statements from before he became PM. At the time, Khan, didn't always have good things to say about the CPEC project. He'd been mostly worried about what he thinks is the lack of transparency and the possibility of widespread corruption at CPEC's myriad projects.
After becoming PM, it appeared Khan softened his tone on CPEC.
In an interview with a Chinese daily a few days before the country's general elections in July, he said "the corridor project has brought about many positive changes to multiple areas of Pakistan's economy", reported Pakistan's Daily Times, quoting Khan's interview with Chinese language newspaper Guangming Daily.
"The changes prove that the corridor has a positive effect on the development of Pakistan. I believe that the corridor construction in the medium and long term will be firmly guaranteed and will continue to be implemented," Khan said to the Chinese newspaper.
Interestingly, Chinese state-backed media said in July that it sees the new Pakistani government continuing to promote CPEC, despite Western media "hyping Imran Khan's reservations about the project".
China's Gobal Times also warned Khan that Western media which will "try to drive a wedge" between Beijing and Islamabad.
"It's also foreseeable in the future that Western countries and media will continue to make an issue of the corridor and Chinese investment in Pakistan in an attempt to drive a wedge between China and Pakistan. The new Pakistani government should be particularly wise to this," said the article in the media outlet run by People's Daily, the mouthpiece of China's Communist Party.