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On July 23, the Sukkur-Multan section of the Peshawar-Karachi motorway in Pakistan was completed ahead of time. By introducing and installing Chinese equipment, digitalization and automation have been realized for road monitoring, vehicle toll payment, signal management and other functions and the Sukkur-Multan section has become a motorway with the highest degree of smart capabilities in Pakistan.
The Sukkur-Multan motorway is 392 km long and the designated speed is 120 km/h, with a total investment of 2.89 billion U.S. dollars. Construction started in August 2016 with a construction period of 36 months and has been completed ahead of schedule. This motorway was built by a Chinese construction company and financed by the Export-Import Bank of China. It is believed that after the motorway is opened, it will play an important role in promoting the local social and economic development in Pakistan.
Here are two points worth mentioning: first, this is a major market-oriented project jointly discussed and built by China and Pakistan. The funds for the project were raised through the financial support of a Chinese bank, therefore it has not imposed any additional financial burden for Pakistan. When the motorway is opened for traffic, economic benefits will continue to be generated, not only gradually recovering investment cost, but also making contributions to Pakistan's tax revenue.
Second, the successful completion of this motorway construction is the result of China's wisdom shared with Pakistan, as well as the active support and participation of the Pakistani government and people. All this has effectively countered the vicious allegations of ensnaring in a so-called "debt trap" by some western commentators.
During the construction of this motorway, more than 28,900 locals have been employed directly, and more than 40,000 jobs have been created indirectly by stimulating the development of related industries in the areas along the motorway.
During the construction process, skills and management training have been imparted, and more than 4,500 Pakistani equipment operators and 2,300 Pakistani management and technical personnel have been trained. When Chinese enterprises engage in the projects in friendly countries, they always pay special attention to helping the host countries build up their abilities of advanced technology, architecture and construction techniques to establish the basis for self-reliance and independence.
Improvement of people's livelihood is the key area for the future of CPEC development. However, the construction of large-scale energy and infrastructure projects has laid and will continue to lay a solid foundation for the improvement of people's livelihood. This time, during the three years of construction of the Sukkur-Multan motorway, the Chinese company has taken the lead in fulfilling social responsibility and has built schools, roads, bridges, wells, irrigation facilities and other public welfare projects for the villages along this motorway, which embodies the spirit of serving the people wholeheartedly.
Also, in the process of project construction, new standards and new technologies have been widely applied. The Sukkur-Multan motorway is now the most advanced in terms of design, has the most advanced intelligent system integration, and laid with advanced modified Chinese asphalt technology in Pakistan. It is also the only motorway with full-line greening and incredible resistance to flooding. At the project design stage, China carried out overall planning for project quality and quality management, and carried out standardized design and construction in accordance with Chinese standards and Pakistani characteristics, which has not only improved work efficiency, but has also guaranteed project quality. To adapt to the local high-temperature environment, the construction company used several new technologies in the field of engineering to enhance the anti-rutting, anti-high temperature and anti-aging performance of the pavement, therefore providing a safe and comfortable driving environment for the Pakistani people.
Copy Editor/Kang Sijun
Editor/Chen Yiran
Author: Cheng Xizhong is an adjunct senior fellow at the Charhar Institute
Source: China Economic Net, 2019-08-05