ISLAMABAD: With an eye on strengthening its economy and to overcome the current account deficit, Pakistan’s government said on Monday that it would invite firms from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Oman to invest in the prestigious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multi-billion dollar project.
Labeled as a “game-changer” for the country, China’s $60 billion investment is expected to develop Pakistan’s infrastructure and overcome energy shortage with the help of new projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
“Both Pakistan and China have mutually decided to include a third party in the CPEC projects. And we will definitely seek investment from our friendly Arab countries in the industrial and energy-related projects,” Hasan Daud, Deputy Project Director CPEC, told Arab News.
He said that the initiative was discussed at length during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent visit to Islamabad. “This is a mutual decision and a framework for it is being worked out,” he said.
At the meeting, both Yi and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi agreed to offer GCC investors the same incentives as would be extended to firms from Pakistan and China. “It is a golden opportunity for our friendly countries especially Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman and Bahrain to invest in the CPEC projects,” Daud said, adding that they were seeking investment particularly in the “export-led industry to overcome the current account deficit”.
Rebuffing reports of a renegotiation with China on CPEC as “propaganda by detractors”, Daud said the priority was now to work toward developing the social sector, Gwadar port, special economic zones and Pakistan Railways’ main line-1.
Dr. Ashfaque Hassan Khan, member of the government’s Economic Advisory Council, said that a “third-country” was being included to dispel the misconception that “there is no transparency in the CPEC projects.” “Investment from other countries will also help broaden the base of the projects and counter allegations of corruption and fraud in the investment,” Khan told Arab News.
He added that the move would further help share dividends of the BRI and ensure regional peace and development through infrastructure and social sector development. “This is a wise strategy and that’s why both Pakistan and China have agreed to it,” Khan said.
Political analysts, however, were quick to add a caveat.
Reasoning that the move was aimed at countering criticism of the BRI, Professor Tahir Malik — an academic and a political analyst — said that the initiative would help China increase its influence in the region, particularly Pakistan, as Islamabad would not be able to repay the money invested in the country by Beijing.
Malik said that China has been under increasing pressure from the United States and other western countries for its “debt trap diplomacy” in the region and the inclusion of a ‘third-country’ was aimed at increasing its ownership of the CPEC projects. “It will be a big achievement for both Pakistan and China if they succeed in getting a tangible investment in the CPEC-led projects from another country in the given international circumstances,” he told Arab News.
Pakistan to rope in GCC investors for CPEC
Pakistan to rope in GCC investors for CPEC
- Chalks out plan with China to overcome current account deficit
- To offer Arab investors the same incentives as are being extended to Chinese companies
Saudi Arabia set to attract $500bn in private investment, Al-Falih tells conference
RIYADH: Sustainability, technology, and financial models were among the core topics discussed by financial leaders during the first day of the Momentum 2025 Development Finance Conference in Riyadh.
The three-day event features more than 100 speakers and over 20 exhibitors, with the central theme revolving around how development financial institutions can propel economic growth.
Speaking during a panel titled “The Sustainable Investment Opportunity,” Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih elaborated on the significant investment progress made in the Kingdom.
“We estimate in the midterm of 2030 or maybe a couple of years more or so, about $1 trillion of infrastructure investment,” he said, adding: “We estimate, as a minimum, 40 percent of this infrastructure is going to be financed by the private sector, so we’re talking in the next few years $400 (billion) to $500 billion.”
The minister drew a correlation between the scale of investment needs and rising global energy demand, especially as artificial intelligence continues to evolve within data processing and digital infrastructure in global spheres.
“The world demand of energy is continuing to grow and is going to grow faster with the advent of the AI processing requirements (…) so our target of the electricity sector is 50 percent from renewables, and 50 percent from gas,” he added.
Al-Falih underscored the importance of AI as a key sector within Saudi Arabia’s development and investment strategy. He made note of the scale of capital expected to go into the sector in coming years, saying: “We have set a very aggressive, but we believe an achievable target, for AI, and we estimate in the short term about $30 billion immediately of investments.”
This emphasis on long-term investment and sustainability targets was echoed across panels at Momentum 2025, during which discussions on essential partnerships between public and private sectors were highlighted.
The shared ambition of translating the Kingdom’s goals into tangible outcomes was particularly essential within the banking sector, as it plays a central role in facilitating both projects and partnerships.
During the “Champions of Sectoral Transformation: Development Funds and Their Ecosystems” panel, Saudi National Bank CEO Tareq Al-Sadhan shed light on the importance of partnerships facilitated via financial institutions.
He explained how they help manage risk while supporting the Kingdom’s ambitions.
“We have different models that we are working on with development funds. We co-financed in certain projects where we see the risk is higher in terms of going alone as a bank to support a certain project,” the CEO said.
Al-Sadhan referred to the role of development funds as an enabler for banks to expand their participation and support for projects without assuming major risk.
“The role of the development fund definitely is to give more comfort to the banking sector to also extend the support … we don’t compete with each other; we always complement each other” he added.
