Pakistan scrambles for relief on $15bn energy debt owed to China

UAE surprises with $10 bn investment in promising sectors of economy

20240522 coal power plant in Pakistan

A Chinese-backed power plant under construction in Pakistan's southern Sindh province in 2018. © AFP/Jiji

ADNAN AAMIR, Contributing writer

ISLAMABAD -- Cash-strapped Pakistan is moving to restructure more than $15 billion in power-plant debt owed to Chinese energy producers, in a move that threatens to dampen Beijing's appetite for future investment.

The South Asian nation is already on the hook for about $1.9 billion in unpaid operating bills at 20 China-backed power plants across the country. Most were built under the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key part of Beijing's globe-spanning Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

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