It is obviously not 18 percent. LOL
This should give you an idea. The loans aren't too bad but they aren't good either.
Loans to the Pakistani Government[edit]
Approximately $11 billion worth of infrastructure projects being developed by the Pakistani government will be financed by concessionary loans, with composite interest rates of 1.6%,
[183] after Pakistan successfully lobbied the Chinese government to reduce interest rates from an initial 3%.
[184] The loans are subsidised by the government of China, and are to be dispersed by the
Exim Bank of Chinaand the
China Development Bank. For comparison, loans for previous Pakistani infrastructure projects financed by the
World Bank carried an interest rate between 5% and 8.5%,
[185] while interest rates on market loans approach 12%.
[186]
The loan money would be used to finance projects which are planned and executed by the Pakistani government. Portions of the approximately $6.6 billion
[74] Karachi–Lahore Motorway are already under construction.
[187] The $2.9 billion phase which will connect the city of Multan to the city of Sukkur over a distance of 392 kilometres has also been approved,
[188] with 90% of costs to be financed by the Chinese government at concessional interest rates, while the remaining 10% is to be financed by the Public Sector Development Programme of the Pakistani government.
[189] In May 2016, the $2.9 billion loan were given final approvals required prior to disbursement of the funds were given by the Government of the People's Republic of China on May 4, 2016, and will be concessional loans with an interest rate of 2.0%.
[63] The National Highway Authority of Pakistan reported that contractors arrived on site soon after the loan received final approval.
[63]
The
China Development Bank will finance the $920 million towards the cost of reconstruction of the 487 kilometer portion of the Karakoram Highway between
Burhan and Raikot.
[190][191] An addition $1.26 billion will be lent by the China Exim Bank for the construction of the Havelian to Thakot portion of this 487 kilometer stretch of roadway,
[61][192] to be dispersed as low-interest rate concessional loans.
[63]
The long-planned 27.1 km long $1.6 billion
Orange Line of the
Lahore Metro is regarded as a commercial project project,
[178] and does not qualify for the Exim Bank's 1.6% interest rate. It will instead by financed at a 2.4% interest rate
[129] after China agreed to reduce interest rates from an originally planned rate of 3.4%.
[193]
The $44 million
Pakistan-China Fiber Optic Project, a 820 km long fibre optic wire connecting Pakistan and China, will be constructed using concessionary loans at an interest rate of 2%, rather than the 1.6% rate applied to other projects.
[194]
Interest-free loans for Gwadar projects[edit]
The government of China in August 2015 announced that concessionary loans for several projects in Gwadar totalling $757 million would be converted 0% interest loans.
[195] The projects which are now to financed by the 0% interest loans include: the construction of the $140 million
Eastbay Expressway project, installation of
breakwaters in Gwadar which will cost $130 million, a $360 million coal power plant in Gwadar, a $27 million project to dredge berths in Gwadar harbour, and a $100 million 300-bed hospital in Gwadar.
[196] Pakistan will only repay the principle on these loans.
In September 2015, the government of China also announced that the $230 million Gwadar International Airport project would no longer be financed by loans, but would instead be constructed by grants which the government of Pakistan will not be required to repay.
[184]
Loans to private consortia[edit]
$15.5 billion worth of energy projects are to be constructed by joint Chinese-Pakistani firms, rather than by the governments of either China or Pakistan. The Exim Bank of China will finance those investments at 5–6% interest rates, while the government of Pakistan will be contractually obliged to purchase electricity from those firms at pre-negotiated rates.
[138]
As an example, the 1,223MW
Balloki Power Plant does not fall under the concessionary loan rate of 1.6%, as the project is not being developed by the Pakistani government. Instead, it is considered to be a private sector investment as its construction will be undertaken by a consortium of
Harbin Electric and Habib Rafiq Limited after they successfully bid against international competitors.
[197] Chinese state-owned banks will provide loans to the consortium that are subsidised by the Chinese government. In the case of the Balloki Power Plant, state-owned banks will finance the project at an interest rate of 5%,
[198] while the Pakistani government will purchase electricity at the lowest bid rate of 7.973 cents per unit.
[197]
Asian Development Bank assistance[edit]
While the
E-35 expressway is considered to be a crucial part of the route between Gwadar and China, the E35 will not be financed by CPEC funds. The project will instead be financed by the Asian Development Bank.
[108]
The N70 project is not officially a part of CPEC but will connect the CPEC's Western Alignment to the Karachi-Lahore Motorway at Multan. The project will be financed as part of a $195 million package by the
Asian Development Bank announced in May 2015 to upgrade the
N70 National Highway and
N50 National Highway.
[100] In January 2016, The United Kingdom's
Department for International Developmentannounced a $72.4 million grant to Pakistan for roadway improvements in the province of Balochistan, thereby reducing the total Asian Development Bank loan from $195 million to $122.6 million.
[199]
The
M-4 Motorway between Faisalabad and Multan is not to be financed by the Chinese government as part of CPEC, but will instead be the first infrastructure project partially financed by the
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and will be co-financed along with the
Asian Development Bank for a total of approximately $275 million.
[84] Portions of the project will also be funded by a $90.7 million grant announced in October 2015 by the government of the United Kingdom towards the construction of the
Gojra-
Shorkot section of the M4 Motorway project.
[107]