ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has officially planned to invite investment from countries as third party apart from Pakistan and China, the draft modalities are finalized for discussion in Pak-China Joint Economic Commission (JEC).
Ministry of Planning, Development in consultation with Ministry of Foreign Affairs has completed the draft plan for the third cooperation in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to attract investment from countries or organizations outside of China.
This will be taken up during the CPEC meeting held in Beijing on 11 July 2023, which is likely to be concluded by Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of Planning, to complete the CEPC 12th Special Joint Coordinating Committee (GCC) Conference. Iqbal will lead the Pakistani team. The purpose of the meeting is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
In June 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to make any statements regarding the involvement of third parties in CPEC projects, as Pakistan and China decided not to make this public.
But now the government is finalizing its plans to attract third-party investment in CPEC projects. A few days ago, Prime Minister Sheikh Baz Sharif said that India should benefit from CPEC infrastructure projects instead of causing trouble.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the third partnership model in CPEC within the scope of the Joint Working Group on Cooperation and International Cooperation has been completed and shared with all relevant parties.
Sources said the Minister of Planning had requested approval from the CPEC secretary before sharing the design plan with foreign projects.
Board of Investment (BoI) announced at a meeting that approximately 800 acres of land in the Bostan Special Economic Zone was captured by unscrupulous elements. The Balochistan government decided to take immediate action to develop the 1,000 areas planned for the Bostan Special Economic Zone.
Although the feasibility study for the Model Islamabad Model SEZ was approved for the project as early as May 2023, the Minister of Planning expressed particular concern about the delay in the Request for Proposals (RFP) deadline. He asked the RBI to issue an RFP immediately.
The Department of Homeland Security and Research said that a feasibility study is underway to create a foot-and-mouth disease-free zone in southern Balochistan and is expected to be completed within a month.
The Punjab Government has also started to establish an FMD Free Zone in the Cholistan region. The power plant said it has contacted its Chinese counterparts for the Joint Working Group (JEWG) but is still awaiting a response, sources said.
It has been decided to prioritize supporting the organization of the Joint Task Force of Pakistan’s mission in China.
At the meeting, the issue of No Objection Certificate (NOC) for workers using the DTMB-A project in China was also discussed.
This project was reportedly created by China for free and is located in three different locations in Pakistan, Murree, Cherat and Karasakaku.
The company has submitted a NOC application for a visit at three selected sites, and the application has been pending since December 2022. However, as NOC cannot provide services, the technical team cannot go to the site for installation, commissioning and integration.
Ministry of Interior officials reported that they received the 2nd and 3rd security permits from the police department on July 4, 2023, and that the approval and delivery process has begun.
Sources reported that the negotiators of the joint working group will personally attend the 12th meeting of the joint working group, especially the negotiators of the group working together on energy, economic cooperation and transport.
The Pakistan Mission in Beijing will coordinate the meetings of the Pakistan Joint Working Group Organizer with its partners at the Joint Committee meeting to effectively resolve the issues and set the path.
The Pakistani delegation also cooperated with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and invited former Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong to attend the 12th Special GCC meeting of the 2013 GCC former Co-Chairs.
