https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news ... -pak-lanka
Xi stares at write-off of PRC’s investments in Pak, Lanka
Abhinandan Mishra, April 9, 2022
New Delhi: The ongoing economic and political turmoil in Pakistan and Sri Lanka is going to hurt severely the $150 billion investment made by the Xi Jinping-led People’s Republic of China (PRC) in these two countries. As per China Global Investment Tracker (CGIT)—the only public accounting mechanism that tracks China’s investments in the world—China has invested $15 billion in Sri Lanka and $66 billion in Pakistan. This $66 billion, however, does not include $62 billion that China had committed to spend separately as part of its Belt and Road Initative (BRI). BRI was officially launched in Pakistan in April 2015 by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he visited Pakistan.
Officials from both sides involved in implementing the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is a part of the BRI, were tasked to complete the majority of the CPEC projects by 2025. However, due to perennial problems, these projects are unlikely to be completed on time. Factors that have delayed the projects include local governance issues and terror threat, money being embezzled by government officials and the return on investment that was envisaged not being achieved because of which China has tightened its purse.
In February 2017, it was revealed that of the total revenue from the Gwadar port, considered to be the grand pearl of CPEC, 91% of it would go to China, while the Gwadar Port Authority (that will have local officials as members) would get the remaining 9% share in the income for the next 40 years. The port is being developed on a build-operate-transfer model, spread over 40 years. Under this scheme, Pakistan will take over the operation of the port along with the infrastructure, maintain it but will only be able to keep 9% of the revenue received from it. Of the total 95 projects that are to be completed under CPEC, they have been divided into following sub-heads: energy (21), transport infrastructure (24), Gwadar projects (14), SEZs (9) and social and economic developments related projects (27).
However, out of the 68 projects under four heads (excluding social and economic developments related projects), only 17 have been completed till now with many of the remaining still awaiting approval or awaiting the issuance of a letter of intent. The Gwadar port, spread across 2,281 acres, is being developed at a cost of $300 million; however, it is still to see substantial traffic with unloading of liquified petroleum gas that comes from Qatar and Oman in ships happening once a month, as a local resident told The Sunday Guardian—a far cry from what the Chinese investors had imagined.
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Gautam