Liang Daitong, Li Shuyu & Zhou Yunsong

On October 21, 2019, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan attended the commissioning ceremony of Hubco Coal Power Plant and delivered a speech. The project, located in Baluchistan Province in southwestern Pakistan, is a priority project for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), with a total investment of about $1.995 billion and a planned total installed capacity of 1320 megawatts. After commissioning, it can supply 9 billion kilowatts of electricity per year to meet the electricity needs of 4 million households. The formal commissioning of the project marks another important achievement in the construction of CPEC and sets a good example for the further cooperation of CPEC.

With a total length of 3000 kilometers, CPEC is connected to the “Silk Road Economic Belt” in the north and the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road” in the south. It is a key hub connecting the North-South Silk Road and an important part of BRI. Since the proposal of BRI was put forward, the construction of CPEC has entered a period of rapid development. CPEC is an open, inclusive and cooperative corridor. At present, it has entered the second stage of development including industrial cooperation, agricultural cooperation and social and people's livelihood cooperation. At the same time, it is also a new stage of high-quality development for expansion and upgrading. The construction scope of the corridor is expanding, and the pace of construction is accelerating. Power shortage has been a major problem troubling the livelihood and economy of Pakistan for many years. As a major advanced project of large-scale energy infrastructure under the BRI and CPEC, the formal commissioning of Hubco Coal Power Plant has added confidence to the continued strengthening of bilateral cooperation between China and Pakistan. The commissioning of the project will provide sufficient energy supplement for local economic development, greatly alleviating the current situation of power shortage in Pakistan, and benefit the general public in Pakistan. Since the construction of CPEC, China has continuously transmitted new technologies to Pakistan, which has played a vital role in promoting Pakistan's economic development. The efforts made by China and Pakistan in promoting the construction of CPEC have been recognized and supported by both sides. The Pakistan government welcomes and supports more Chinese enterprises to invest in Pakistan and cooperate with small and medium-sized enterprises in Pakistan to participate in the building of Pakistan. As a good partner and best friend of Pakistan, China will also continue to support Pakistan's economic and social development and the improvement of people's livelihood. We will promote the implementation of CPEC cooperation project.

Therefore, the landing of CPEC construction project including Hubco Coal Power Plant, is of great significance to the cooperation between China and Pakistan, reflecting the friendly and win-win cooperation between China and Pakistan. Together with other energy projects, it will make a significant contribution to solving the problem of energy shortage in Pakistan, diversifying the fuel structure for power generation in Pakistan and reducing power generation costs, thus reducing industrial and manufacturing costs in Pakistan. Improving the global competitiveness of Pakistan's exports has brought extensive economic benefits to Pakistan, especially in the context of the complex and changeable economic development environment in the world today, the smooth implementation of cooperation projects between China and Pakistan has promoted the further development of CPEC and laid a solid foundation for the realization of regional peace, stability and prosperity. China and Pakistan will continue to strengthen docking, deepen mutual trust, promote CPEC to get more practical achievements, achieve high-quality development, and jointly build a closer China-Pakistan community of shared future in the new era.