China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was proposed by Premier Li Keqiang during a visit to Pakistan in May 2013. The 3,000-kilometer-long corridor starts from China’s Kashi and ends at Pakistan’s Gwadar, and connects the Silk Road Economic Belt in the north and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in the south. It is a trade network of highways, railways, pipelines and optical cables and is a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative.
China and Pakistan developed a long-term plan for the construction of transport and power facilities along the corridor in April 2015. These facilities are expected to spur the launch of other major projects in infrastructure, energy, water conservancy, and information and communications, including industrial parks and free trade zones. With an investment totaling US$45 billion, construction of the CPEC is scheduled to be completed by 2030.
?President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif were present at the ground-breaking ceremony for five major projects on April 20, 2015, when over 30 agreements and memoranda in relation to CPEC cooperation were signed.
The CPEC is designed to enhance bilateral exchanges and cooperation in transport, energy and maritime shipping, foster connectivity between the two countries, and promote common development. It will also help enhance connectivity across the whole of South Asia, and expand cooperation in economic and energy sectors between the countries in South and Central Asia, North Africa and along the Persian Gulf, thus forming an economic radius benefiting nearly three billion people.
中巴經濟走廊
中巴經濟走廊是李克強總理于2013年5月訪問巴基斯坦時提出的。走廊起點位于新疆喀什,終點在巴基斯坦瓜達爾港,全長3000公里,北接絲綢之路經濟帶,南連21世紀海上絲綢之路,是貫通南北絲路關鍵樞紐,是一條包括公路、鐵路、油氣管道和光纜覆蓋的“四位一體”通道和貿易走廊,被稱為“一帶一路”的“旗艦項目”。
2015年4月,中巴兩國初步制定了中巴經濟走廊遠景規(guī)劃,將在走廊沿線建設交通運輸和電力設施,并以此帶動雙方在走廊沿線開展重大項目、基礎設施、能源資源、農業(yè)水利、信息通訊等多個領域的合作,創(chuàng)立更多工業(yè)園區(qū)和自貿區(qū)。走廊建設預計總工程費將達到450億美元,計劃于2030年完工。
2015年4月20日,習近平主席和納瓦茲?謝里夫總理舉行了走廊5大項目破土動工儀式,并簽訂了超過30項涉及中巴經濟走廊的合作協(xié)議和備忘錄。
走廊旨在進一步加強中巴之間交通、能源、海洋等領域的交流與合作,推動互聯互通建設,促進兩國共同發(fā)展。走廊也有助于促進整個南亞的互聯互通,更能使南亞、中亞、北非、海灣國家等通過經濟、能源領域的合作緊密聯合起來,形成惠及近30億人口的經濟共振。