http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?p...24-5-2006_pg1_1


Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Pakistan, China considering oil pipeline from Gwadar

* Aziz says oil refinery at Gwadar, pipeline to Western China, would quicken oil import for Beijing
* Says nuclear energy technology cooperation expanding

By Irfan Ghauri

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China are considering a feasibility study for an oil pipeline from Gwadar port to Western China to transport China’s oil imports from the Gulf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Tuesday.

The Gwadar and Karachi ports offer the shortest access to the Arabian Sea for Western China, as well as Central Asia, Aziz said at a seminar on 55 years of Pakistan-China relations, organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies.

An oil pipeline from Gwadar to Western China would greatly reduce the time and distance for oil transport from the Gulf to China, he said. A major oil refinery at Gwadar would further facilitate China’s oil imports.

Pakistan is now in a position to exploit its strategic location at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia to promote “corridors of cooperation” including oil and gas pipelines, electricity grids, and transit trade, the prime minister said. He said the Karakorum Highway would soon be upgraded so it could remain open all year round.

The prime minister said the two countries were also expanding cooperation in nuclear energy and space technology. “A significant area of cooperation between Pakistan and China has been the harnessing of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes under international safeguards - for the production of electricity,” Aziz said. “The two countries are working towards further expanding cooperation in this area.”

Pakistan and China have always pursued their friendship for mutual benefit and never at the cost of any other country, Aziz said. “We have not sought hegemony nor shall we accept hegemony from any quarter. Our relationship is designed to promote security and cooperation with out neighbours as well as with our global partners,” he said.

“Our relations are not designed to be used against any third country. We do not subscribe to concepts such as balance of power, pre-emption and unilateralism. We believe in strengthening the United Nations system to address and resolve all regional and global issues,” he said.

Aziz said both countries seek a level playing field without trade barriers and tariff walls and Pakistan would welcome greater Chinese investment in its economy, particularly in infrastructure, telecommunication, energy, IT, construction, mining and textiles.

Answering questions, the prime minister said the biggest challenge facing the Sino-Pak relationship was to create new areas of cooperation and sustain their friendly relations.

He said Central and South Asian cooperation was imperative for the economic growth of the two regions. Stability in Afghanistan was vital to enhancing ties between the two regions vital. Pakistan is already negotiating with some Central Asian countries to create links for electricity import, he said.

this was clear from the on set. Chinese didnt invest in gawadar only for one purpose. Of course they want to secure their sealanes. But a better alternative would be direct pipeline from gawadar to western china.

I was wondering....how advanced is China's nuclear energy program. Is it say on par with that of France. Is nuclear energy a good option. How is Pakistan going to handle the nuclear waste.

A pipeline from gawadar to western china will benifit both countries, Pakistan can ask China to build, because they will build in nearly half time period with respect to anyother, as the terrian will be very difficult in northern areas. Pakistan will get the transit fee and can off load some quantities for its use.

i havent got as much knowledge about china's nuclear energy program but i think dizasta posted an article saying that china's nuclear program is more advanced than what india is getting but if it is possible please elaborate on that issue and if u guys can compare different countries and than tell on which number are china and pakistan than that would help.
another good thing in the article is that karakoram highway is gonna be upgraded to be open all year round which is a good thing.
well we are going ahead with these oil pipelines from saudia arabia and than gas from iran and turkmenistan(i think plz correct me if i am wrong)...now how much money we gonna get out of it as the pipelines would go through pakistan, we should be getting billions but dont have much information on that
One more thing is that according to news we are thinking of importing elcetricity, now is there any possibility of supplying the electricity to other countries through pakistan?

I think Gilgit is on its way to becoming the Hamalyan metropolis. With all season KKH and a rail connection to Chinese border and oil and gas pipelines, Gilgit is going to become a major trade center between Pakistan and China.

It would be nice to see a developed Gilgit city that can provide employment and housing to all the people of nearby regions so they don't have to live in far flung mountain areas. Another benefit of that would be that climbers like myself won't be getting chased by the local gujjar's dogs and getting rocks thrown at by their women for walking by too close to their property.

No seriously, we need to have cities that can absorb the rural mountain population so that the govt can preserve the natural scenic beauty of these areas and its wildlife.

That is always the sticky issue when dealing with nuclear power. The spent fuel rods can be re-processed, to a certain extend. Nuclear waste disposal is an environmental challenge every country faces unless, of course, one does not use nuclear power.