China Pakistan Economic Corridor Project Database

Internal Research Unit∗

Ever since the official announcement of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in April 2015, there has been a growing demand for complete details of the projects envisaged under the megaproject. The Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, which is the coordinating ministry for the megaproject, did not post any information about CPEC projects for several months. Consequently, journalists, academicians and researchers mostly relied on media reports for their writings. Therefore, a dire need to identify and assess the status of the projects listed under the CPEC was sensed and attended accordingly by the Centre for Strategic and Contemporary Research (CSCR).

In order to attend to the need of establishing an all-encompassing data bank regarding CPEC projects, the Centre took the initiative of establishing a database dedicated specifically to CPEC and the projects under its umbrella. The CPEC Project Database is an information repository which takes under its auspices about 70 CPEC related projects. This data-bank is a product of six months of extensive research and meticulous monitoring of the developments that took place with regards to the shortlisted projects. Primary sources consulted for this enterprise are broadly categorised as follows:

•Government Sources: The website dedicated for CPEC, which is managed by the Planning Ministry, was consulted as a credible source for extracting information about the megaproject(s).

•Media Sources: Reports published on the websites of various local and international publications and media outlets were also consulted as meaningful accounts for providing information relevant for this database.

•Social Media Sources: Various social media sources including the Twitter handle of Deputy Chief of Mission at the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad Zhao Lijian proved to be critically essential for data collection.

*This is a routine study conducted by the researchers at the Academics Department of the Centre for Strategic and Contemporary Research.

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Stratagem

•Documentaries: Documentaries and reports regarding the progress of the megaproject(s) were also consulted as sources for this database.

While preparing the database, preference was given to government sources over any other sources. The underlying rationale behind this preference was that the information provided by government source(s) is sufficiently credible and validated by the concerned departments before it is made accessible for public use. In case of unavailability or scanty information on a particular project from the aforesaid government source(s), media sources were sought to fill in the gaps in information.

In relying upon the said media sources, a certain variation in the available figures was observed amongst the three sources in the media sphere i.e. mainstream media, social media and documentaries. In order to maintain objectivity of the database, varying figures from all the sources were included without the exclusion of any data available. The database categorises the project details on going under the auspices of the megaproject i.e. CPEC into the following broad spheres:

•Basic Details: The said category puts forth the fundamental benchmark(s) of the project in question. Some of the defining sub categories in this respect are:

◦◦ Location of the project; (i.e. the city, district and province that it is planned in),

◦◦ Current status of the project,

◦◦ The date of project inauguration,

◦◦ The date of commencement (i.e. the date on which the construction began),

◦◦ Identity of the inaugurator (i.e. the details of the individual who inaugurated the project),

◦◦ Total construction cost of the project,

◦◦ Name of the owner/ guardian of the project (i.e. who maintains the project site), and

◦◦ Name of the companies that have invested in the project.

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Internal Research Unit

•History: This section puts forth:

◦◦ A brief history of the project (wherever available),

◦◦ The various phases that the construction of the project went through until the point of its completion and/or the progress in case of ongoing project(s),

◦◦ An account of how (i.e. in what capacities) the investors from various companies invested in the project, and

◦◦ A chronological timeline including the key events that took place in view of the project over the course of time since its initiation.

•Current Status: This section puts forth:

◦◦ The current status of the project (i.e. facts about its completion and/or its progress), and

◦◦ The day to day activities undertaken at the project site.

•Benefits: This section puts forth:

◦◦ The anticipated benefits that the project is/will be capable of providing to the local people, foreign investors, regional and non regional countries.

The database was created with the aim to facilitate anyone ranging from journalists to academicians to use the information provided as a go-to source for CPEC projects. The database is updated fortnightly. In the near future, CSCR aims to make the database available in Chinese, Punjabi, Balochi, Pashto and Sindhi as well.

For further information regarding this research project, kindly email info@cscr.pk or visit our

website www.cscr.pk.

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