By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – A Chinese company has bought control of Pakistan’s only independent power utility for $1.77 billion, local media reported Monday.
Shanghai Electric Power (SEP), according to local English daily Dawn, will own two-thirds of shares of Karachi-Electric after a deal was signed last week in Beijing.
Pakistani observers believe the deal is a sign Chinese investors are increasingly interested in Pakistan because of the $46-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which aims to provide Beijing with rapid access to markets in Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa through Pakistan’s Gwadar Port.