CPEC Industrial parks or zones

For industrial cooperation, the two countries are planning industrial parks. According to Pakistani Minister for Planning, Development, and Reform Ahsan Iqbal, the Pakistani government has proposed 29 industrial parks and 21 minerals based industrial processing zones in all four provinces. He highlighted, A joint working group would decide and identify the industrial parks and hailed CPEC "a game changer", and "once in a lifetime" opportunity for Pakistan.

The world's largest explosives manufacturer, Beijing Auxin Chemical Technology Limited, also establishing a plant in the Pakistan. The company will manufacture emulsion explosives that will "meet the future demand of explosives and blasting accessories in the light of CPEC for large-scale mining and hydroelectric projects."

Above is not the only investment China has planned in Pakistan. In fact, the money is going to be double what Pakistan has received in foreign direct investment since 2008. It is larger than any shape of assistance from the USA to Pakistan. These projects are likely to be funded by the Bank of China, the Export-Import Bank of China, and the probable Asian Development Bank. The summarized list below (including CPEC) is just a snapshot of upcoming projects:

  • Karachi-Lahore-Peshawar railway line at the cost of a $3.7 billion
  • Development of four coal-fired stations with a capacity of 1,980 megawatts in Thar (Sindh) of $2.8 billion
  • Two coal-mining blocks in Thar (Sindh) at the cost of $2.2 billion
  • Building of a natural gas pipeline between Gwadar and Nawabshah, then connecting to Iran at the cost of $2 billion
  • Development of coal-fired generation plants at Port Qasim Karachi at the expense of a $2 billion
  • Hydropower Project in Karot at the cost of $1.6 billion
  • Solar power park in Bahawalpur at the cost of $1.5 billion
  • Road links the Karakoram Highway to Islamabad and Havelien at the cost of $930 million
  • 100-megawatt wind farm in Jhimpir at the expense of $260 million
  • Gwadar International Airport at the cost of $230 million

Apart from the obvious benefits of Pakistan's power production, logistics, transportation, communication, and freight handling industries, CPEC will also immensely help the country's real estate running along the trade corridor.

The CPEC's positive effects on Pakistan's real estate sector have already started showing. Gwadar has started witnessing a hot demand in the hope of better times to come as property prices have hiked by more than 200% in just a couple of months or a year time.

While the real estate sector grows exponentially, Pakistan has offered the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) access to Pakistani Gwadar ports to gain access to the Arabian Sea when the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) becomes functional.