One of China’s Most Ambitious Projects Becomes a Corridor to Nowhere

One of China’s Most Ambitious Projects Becomes a Corridor to Nowhere

Plans originally called for a seaport, roads, railways, pipelines, dozens of factories and the largest airport in Pakistan.. It has repeatedly missed construction targets as it ran out of money; it got a $6 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund last year, the country's 13th since the late 1980s.. In Kenya, a court halted construction last year on a $2 billion power plant financed by China.. The only cargo ship that calls in Gwadar, operated by China's Cosco Shipping Holdings Co. , delivers construction materials and sometimes departs with seafood.. An additional 30 are targeted for the Free Zone's Phase II, closer to the site of the new airport, officials say, and $400 million has been invested so far.. Mariyam Suleman, the Gwadar-based editor of the Balochistan Review , says life for people in the area hasn't improved much after five years of planned developments. ". Announced in 2014, the new airport was supposed to have been built by China Communications Construction Co. , the largest builder of projects along the Belt and Road, with a $230 million loan from China and a grant from Oman.. The following year, the Chinese government said it would convert