瓜达尔港：渔村里“走出”的国际港

彭纳

“2013年，我们刚来的时候，码头基本处于报废状态。”站在瓜达尔港港口，望向海的另一端，只有一条分不清是海还是天的海平面，别企图在这里寻找到海的尽头。码头上屹立着五台崭新的岸桥像守望者一般，等待着远航渡轮的归来。此时，远方的鸣笛声惊起了岸边的飞鸟，一艘货轮正从海上的一个黑点由远及近慢慢逼近码头，最终，货轮在两艘小船的推动下缓缓靠岸，与此同时，岸桥在一声“低吼”后苏醒过来，放下高扬的“臂膀”，准确地找到需要卸载的货物，动作干净利落。

海天之际，瓜达尔国际码头有限公司总经理助理王万超口中那个报废码头的影子已不复存在。说起瓜达尔港，他拥有太多的头衔。2014年2月，他被列为促进中巴“一带一路”合作的旗舰项目。3个月后，习近平主席会见时任巴基斯坦总统的侯赛因时再度提出，中巴经济走廊建设是“一带一路”合作的重要組成部分，瓜达尔港是当前应该重点落实好的项目之一。2015年，习近平主席对巴基斯坦进行历史性访问，全面擘画中巴“1+4”合作布局，瓜达尔港成为四大重点之一。6年时间，沧海桑田，这里发生着怎样的变化？投资潜力到底有多大？区域经济带动作用是否形成？所有问题的答案，都藏在港口这一湾蔚蓝的海水之中。

当飞机进入瓜达尔上空，从舷窗向下望，满眼黄沙，像给大地铺上了一层金黄的幕布。很难想象在这样一片土地上，能开发出一个国际港口，直到汽车绕过隔离带一样的黄色土山，蔚蓝的大海乍现眼前，让人不禁惊呼。

从地图上看，瓜达尔港的整个形态好似一把锤子，锤头外端是阿拉伯海，锤头内端便形成了天然深水不冻港，再加上港口距全球供应石油的主要通道霍尔木兹海峡仅400公里，优越的地理位置让这里被誉为印度洋咽喉要地。

然而，在2013年中国海外港口控股有限公司（以下简称“中国港控”）来到这里前，由新加坡运营的港口却没能成功发展起来。“港口是2003年由中国交建修建，2007年完工后交付新加坡公司运营，但在他们运营的6年时间里，这里并没有得到很好的商业开发。”究其原因，王万超告诉记者，这有公司自身发展的原因，也有很大一部分外在因素。

众所周知，港口发展的决定性因素在于其腹地经济的开发程度，然而，瓜达尔港所在的俾路支省虽然占巴基斯坦国土面积约43%，但其GDP却只占巴国的约3%，“这里的主要产业是渔业，几乎没有工业。”虽然港口地理位置有一定优势，但限制其发展的因素也尤为明显。

同样的困局也摆在了中国港控面前，但在解决这个问题之前，他们还需要解决另一个大麻烦。

如同文章开头所说，中国港控在2013年来到这片土地时，目之所及都是荒芜，运行了6年之久的码头也破败得不像样，“除了码头本身能用以外，就连仅有的两座岸桥和几台门机都没法用。”不仅如此，港口唯一能够提供淡水的海水淡化厂也已经无法工作，“那时，我们用的水就跟当地人一样，严重缺水时，还曾动用海军给这一地区的百姓送水。”回忆起建设之初的难，瓜达尔港自由区有限公司副总经理胡耀宗忍不住感慨。

一切的一切都百废待兴。从2013年开始，这里的机械声就没断过，如今，5台岸桥已经巍然海边，65000平方米的堆场已经投入使用，44万加仑/天的海水淡化系统为整个港口甚至瓜达尔市提供着生活用水。数据显示，截至2018年底，中国港控先后投入资金近5000万美元，用于港口设施的更新改造。经过几年奋战，码头终于在2017年全面恢复运营，现在，码头可以同时容纳两艘5万吨级的船舶，并有效地处理散货，集装箱和滚装货物。 2018年，另外一个好消息传来，3月7日，瓜达尔港的集装箱班轮服务正式启动。该航线被命名为“巴基斯坦瓜达尔中东快线”，由中远海运集运经营，将杰贝阿里、卡拉奇和阿布扎比作为中转港，依托中远海运集运的十多条国际航线，为全球客户提供进出瓜达尔港的航运服务。

但腹地经济的根本问题不解决，港口发展依旧受限。于是，自造一个腹地经济的想法被提了出来。

在飞往瓜达尔港的航班上，一名中国女性吸引了我们的注意，聊起才知道，这位只身前往港口的陈艳萍是代表公司来考察，准备在瓜达尔港开设海外分公司。“这已经不是我们公司第一次来这里考察了，这次来是具体了解公司落地相关手续的。”被问起为何会选择瓜达尔港时，她告诉记者，“我们公司是做咨询服务的，目前越来越多的中国企业准备入驻港口，相应的咨询服务业务也会随之增加。”像陈艳萍所在公司一样，准备抢滩瓜达尔港的公司还有很多，中国临沂商城海外投资（巴基斯坦）有限公司（以下简称“临沂商城”）就是其中之一。

孙大龙是临沂商城在瓜达尔港的负责人，一年多前来到瓜港就一直没离开过。在谈起公司落地这里时，他显露出了山东人特有的耿直，“到瓜达尔港设立公司，第一，是看中港口和自由区提供的优惠政策；第二，等过几年，港口发展完善后，大量公司会涌入，等那时再进入巴基斯坦市场我们可能就错过了最佳时机。”

这个山东汉子提到的自由区便是打造腹地经济尤为重要的一个环节。当中国港控完成对港口改造后，便开始着手建设瓜达尔自由区的工作，在2016年至2017年，一年多的时间里，整个港口变化可谓翻天覆地，一栋栋厂房从无到有；水、电、通讯等基础设施在这期间相继投入运行，2018年1月29日，瓜达尔自由区（南部区）正式开园。占地面积923公顷的自由区将分为两个阶段建设，第一阶段为南部商贸物流区；第二阶段为北部加工制造区。

自由區的发展除了依托基础建设和园区规划外，另一大要素来自于政策上的优惠，这是吸引企业来此产生集群效应最行之有效的方法。胡耀宗特别指出：“我们的自由区拥有23年免税期、99年租赁权、100%外资所有等政策，还包括园区内的一站式服务。”这些优势中，有的是别的自由区不具备的，“自由区这个概念对于巴方来说，是一个非常新鲜的概念。”正因如此，巴方在政策的优惠上慎之又慎。自由区为了给企业提供最大的方便，把国内已经非常成熟的一站式服务带了过来，“如今海关、联邦税务局、国家银行和俾路支商会已经在瓜港挂牌上班，未来，还将有更多的部门在这里办公，我们不敢保证入园企业最快几天办完手续，但会尽最大努力减省企业落地办理的过程。”胡耀宗真诚地表达。

8月11日传来的消息，一直悬而未决的对自由区入园企业的税收优惠政策在经过反复论证后，终于在当天落了地，这个消息无疑是重大利好。

对于最早一批来此扎根的企业来说，他们的成长几乎与园区的成长同频。

聊起这个话题，孙大龙的话匣子一下被打开。临沂市与瓜达尔市本就是友好城市，“我们参加了几乎所有巴基斯坦举行的展销会，发现了巴市场的需求，这边对于墙纸、电视墙玻璃的需求量非常大。”基于此情况，公司专门组织巴方企业与临沂的相关生产企业取得联系，打开了双方的新市场。“这就是我所说的时机，巴基斯坦是一个巨大的市场，需要我们扎根在这里深入开发。”

无独有偶，临沂跨国采购经济发展有限公司的董事长孔军这几天也专程来到瓜达尔港考察，“我们也是临沂商城下的一个部门，负责进口贸易。”孔军看好的是巴基斯坦的芒果生意，“我国的芒果市场巨大，而巴基斯坦芒果在世界上都享有盛誉。”在孔军看来，瓜达尔港是一个潜力巨大的投资地，“这里地理位置优越不说，一旦企业的集聚效应产生，再加上瓜达尔港新机场、东湾快速路以及300兆瓦燃煤电厂的落地，这里的发展无可限量。”

当记者问起港口对瓜达尔市甚至俾路支省的区域经济辐射效应时，胡耀宗表示，在港口落地的几年间，瓜达尔市正悄悄发生着变化。

就职于中国港控的达龙，是瓜达尔本地人，对于这里的变化，他最有感触，“以前，瓜达尔只是个小渔村，大多数人靠打渔为生，如今，许多人在港口谋得了一份工作，收入也高了许多。”中国港控另一位职员坦言，刚刚到这里时，当地人基本都用“老年机”，现在几乎人手一部智能手机，这就是最大的变化。胡耀宗也谈起他自己体会到的变化，“4年前我刚到这里时，从卡拉奇进港口的航班是一周一班，现在已经基本是一天一班，遇到重大活动时一天两班。”

生活细节在变化，而几场大型活动的举办则像蝴蝶扇动的翅膀，带来的效应也在慢慢发酵。2018年9月28日，中国港控和瓜达尔港务局共同举办了首届瓜达尔大理石、石材展销会以及俾路支省经济发展论坛；3月28日，第二届瓜达尔国际商品展销会成功举办，中国驻巴基斯坦姚敬大使，巴基斯坦总理伊姆兰·汗以及部分政府官员出席展会活动。来自200余家参展商、约10000多名采购商参加展会。2018年10月29日至30日，亚洲议会联盟大会在瓜达尔召开。会上，与会各国和多家国际机构在各领域达成共识，并通过多个审议草案。

此外，中国港控也立足民生，8月7日，位于自由区一角的羊舍正式落成，作为羊场负责人的港控自由区公司行政经理贾幸福，在工作之余也当起了“羊倌”。随着羊叫声逐渐靠近，头戴红花的羊群出现在视野里，这19只羊，率先住进了崭新的羊舍。“我们与瓜达尔市签订了扶贫协议，由政府选定14户贫困户进入羊场工作。”通过三期的建设，未来，预计达到10000只羊，“这里75%的家庭从事渔业，畜牧业还停留在最原始的放养状态。”通过扶贫帮贫，瓜达尔市的畜牧业也许将诞生在这5000平米的羊舍里。

另一个改变瓜达尔的计划更加长远，将绿植种遍瓜达尔。说起这个，胡耀宗不断重复着两个字“难啊”。但到底有多难，在园区里负责绿植的育林控股有限公司的王瑞磊道出了其中艰辛，从2016年5月到达这里开始，他就带领着团队不断试验，“我们从国内带来的柳树、苹果树都无法存活。”因为园区土地是填造出来的，盐含量过高，加上这一地区本来就荒凉，试验一直失败，“就拿现在园区里能看到的草地来说，别看这些小草不起眼，但种植这些小草花费了我们两年的时间。”在试验了几十个品种的植物后，团队终于收获了成功，瓜达尔港从荒漠变成了“花园港口”。为此，中国港控专门设立了瓜达尔百万造林项目。不仅如此，园区恢复的淡水处理厂将从现在向瓜达尔市提供30万加仑/天的水提升至150万加仑/天。另外，中国港控还与中国和平发展基金会共同建设中巴法曲尔中学……

6年时间是瓜达尔港交出的一份优异的成绩单，对未来，他们还有着清晰的发展路径和努力方向，下一个6年，我们期待着他“金榜题名”。

“When we came here in 2013， the wharf was almost out of operation.” When standing at the port of Gwadar and looking into the other side of the sea， you could only see a horizon which prevents you from telling the boundary between the sea and the sky. Don’t try to find the end of the sea here. Five brand-new quay cranes were standing on the wharf， waiting for the return of ferry boats from afar like watchmen. At this moment， birds on the coast were frightened by the noise of the horn from distance， and a freighter was approaching the wharf slowly. Finally， it was drawn to the shore by two small boats. At the same time， the quay cranes were “awaken”by a growl， laying down their “arms” high in the air and accurately spotting the freight to be unloaded， smoothly and efficiently.

At this place， that deserted wharf described by Wang Wanchao， General Manager’s Assistant of Gwadar International Wharf Co.， Ltd.， has long gone. The Gwadar Port has so many titles. In February 2014， it was listed as a flagship project in the China-Pakistan Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Three months later， when meeting with the then Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain， Chinese President Xi Jinping indicated again that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was an important part of the Belt and Road cooperation， and Gwadar Port was one of the key projects at that time. In 2015， President Xi Jinping paid a historic visit to Pakistan and comprehensively described the “1+4” cooperation structure， in which Gwadar Port became one of the four priorities. Six years has passed by， and brings great changes to it. Specifically， what are the changes here？ How about the potential for investment？ Has it become a driver of local economy？ Answers to all these questions are in the azure sea of the port.

When the plane was above Gwadar， you can see through the porthole that the land below was covered by yellow sands， like a golden curtain. It’s hard to imagine the development of an international port here， until the car bypassed yellow mountains which were like isolation strips and the azure sea emerged in front of you， which made you surprised.

We can see that in the map， the shape of Gwadar Port is like a hammer， the outer end of the hammer head is the Arabian Sea， and the inner end is a natural deep-water ice-free port. In addition， it is only 400km to the Strait of Hormuz， the main passage of global oil supply. Favorable geographic location makes Gwadar Port a strategic junction in the Indian Ocean.

However， before China Overseas Ports Holding Company Limited （COPHC） came here in 2013， the port operated by a Singaporean company didn’t develop successfully. “The port was built by CCCC in 2003， and delivered to a Singaporean company for operation after the completion of construction in 2007. However， during the six years operated by that company， the commercial development here was poor.” As for the reason， Wang Wanchao told the reporter that while the development of that company accounted for part of it， external factors were also an important reason.

As we all know， the deciding factor for the development of a port is the development level of its hinterland economy. However， Balochistan province， where Gwadar Port is， only contributed 3% of Pakistan’s GDP while occupying 43% of its land. “The leading industry here is fishery， and there was almost no industry.” Although the port enjoyed some geographical advantages， the factors limiting its development were evident.

COPHC encountered the same dilemma. However， before solving this problem， they still needed to solve another big trouble.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article， when COPHC arrived here in 2013， what they could see was a deserted scene， even the wharf which had been in operation for six years was very dilapidated.“Except for that the wharf was available for operation， the only two quay cranes and several portal cranes couldn’t work.” Moreover， the desalination plant， the only source of fresh water at the port， was also out of operation. “At that time， the water we used was the same as that of the locals. When there was a severe lack of water， the navy was employed to divert water for the people.” When recalling the difficulties at the beginning of construction， Hu Yaozong， Vice General Manager of Gwadar Port Free Zone Co.， Ltd.， couldn’t help but sighed.

There’s a lot to be done. From 2013 on， the noises made by machineries here never stop. Now five quay cranes are standing by the shore， and the 65，000m2 storage yard has been put into operation， the desalination system with a capacity of 440，000 galons per day is providing domestic water to the whole port and the city of Gwadar. According to statistics， by the end of 2018， COPHC has invested USD 50 million in the upgrade and transformation of the port’s facilities. After several years of hard work， the wharf recovered its full operation in 2017. Now the wharf can accommodate two 50，000-ton ships at the same time， and effectively handle bulk cargo， containers and ro-ro cargo. Another piece of good news came in 2018. On March 7， the regular container ship service of Gwadar Port was officially launched. This ship route was named as “Pakistan Gwadar – Mid East Express”. Operated by COSCO Shipping Lines， this route takes Jebel Ali， Karachi and Abu Dhabi as ports of transshipment， and relies on over 10 international ship routes of COSCO Shipping Lines to provide customers all over the world with shipping services from and to Gwadar Port.

However， the development of the port would still be restricted if the problem of hinterland economy remained. Therefore， the idea of creating a hinterland economy was proposed.

On the flight to Gwadar Port， a Chinese female attracted our attention. After chatting with her， we knew that she’s Chen Yanping， who went to investigate the port alone on behalf of her company， which planned to set up an overseas branch at the port.“This isn’t our first investigation here. This time， I go to the port to learn about the relevant procedures of the settlement of the company.” When asked why her company chose Gwadar Port， she told the reporter， “Our company is providing consulting services. At present， more and more Chinese companies are preparing to settle in the port， so consulting service business regarding this will also increase.” Like Chen Yanping’s company， many others are also preparing to take a preemptive opportunity to settle in Gwadar Port. China Linyi Mall Overseas Investment （Pakistan） Co.， Ltd.（“Linyi Mall”） is one of them.

Sun Dalong is the manager of Linyi Mall’s business in Gwadar Port. He hasn’t left here since his arrival more than one year ago. When talking about the company’s settlement here， he showed the honesty and frankness of the Shandong people. “There are two reasons for us to set up a branch in Gwadar Port： first， the preferential policies provided by the port and the free zone； second， after a few years， when the port has developed and a large number of companies would flood in， if we enter the market of Pakistan at that time， we may miss the best opportunity.”

The free zone mentioned by this man from Shandong is a particularly important part in the creation of a hinterland economy. When COPHC completed the transformation of the port， it started the construction of Gwadar Free Zone. During about one year from 2016 to 2017， the port witnessed huge changes with buildings built from scratches one after another； infrastructures such as water， electricity and telecommunications were put into operation successively during this period. On January 29th， 2018， Gwadar Free Zone （Southern Zone） was officially opened. The construction of this 923-hectare free zone will be divided into two phases which are the Trade and Logistics Zone in the South and the Processing and Manufacturing Zone in the North respectively.

In addition to infrastructures and the planning of the zone， another driver of the development of the free zone is preferential policies， which is the most effective way to attract enterprises here to generate cluster effects. Hu Yaozong pointed out， “Our Free Zone provides a tax holiday of 23 years， leasehold of 99 years， 100% foreign ownership， and one-stop services in the zone.” Some of these superiorities are not available in other free zones， “The concept of Free Zone is very new in Pakistan”. Therefore， they are very cautious in terms of preferential policies. In order to maximize the convenience provided to enterprises， the Free Zone has brought the developed one-stop services in Pakistan here. “Now the Customs， the Federal Board of Revenue， the National Bank and the Balochistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Pakistan have already opened their branches in Gwadar Port. In the future， there will be more departments working here. We can’t promise in how many days enterprises settled in the zone would finish the procedures， but we are doing our best to reduce the process of settlement，” Hu Yaozong said sincerely.

According to the news delivered on August 11， preferential tax policies for enterprises in the free zone， which had been a pending issue， was implemented on that day after repeated discussions and arguments. This is definitely good news.

For those enterprises coming here the earliest， their development is simultaneous with that of the free zone.

When talking about this topic， Sun Dalong just couldn’t stop. Linyi and Gwadar City are sister cities.“We have participated in almost all the trade fairs held in Pakistan and found the demand from the market here. The demand for wallpaper and TV wall glass is huge.” Based on this， the company specially organized Pakistani enterprises to contact relevant manufacturers in Linyi， opening up new markets for both sides. “This is the opportunity I am talking about. Pakistan represents a huge market， which needs us to be rooted here to develop it.”

Coincidentally， Kong Jun， Chairman of Linyi Transnational Procurement Economic Development Co.， Ltd.， also specially investigated Gwadar Port in the past few days. “We are also a subordinate to Linyi Mall engaged in import trade.” Kong Jun is optimistic about the mango business in Pakistan. “China has a huge market for mango， and Pakistani mangos are well-known in the world.” Kong Jun believes that Gwadar Port is a place with huge potentials for investment. “In addition to its favorable geographical position， once the cluster effect of enterprises is created， together with the opening of the new Gwadar Port Airport， the East Bay Expressway and the 300MW thermal power plant， this place is of infinite potential for development.”

When the reporter asked about the port’s regional economic radiation effects on the City of Gwadar and even the Province of Balochistan， Hu Yaozong said that changes had taken place silently in the City of Gwadar during the few years after the port is redeveloped.

Dadullah Yousaf， a local of Gwadar working for COPHC， is deeply touched by the changes here，“In the past， Gwadar was just a small fishing village where most people depended on fishing for a living. Now many people have jobs in the port with higher incomes.” Another employee of COPHC said that when he arrived here for the first time， most of the locals were using “cellphones for the seniors”（with few functions）， and now almost everyone has a smartphone. This is the biggest change. Hu Yaozong also talked about the changes he experienced， “when I arrived here four years ago， there was only one flight from Karachi to the port every week. Now there is basically one flight every day， and even two flights a day when there is a major event.”

The details of life are changing， and several major events held here are like the wings of a butterfly， the effects of which gradually emerge. On September 28， 2018， COPHC and Gwadar Port Authority jointly held the 1st Gwadar Marble and Stone Fair and the Balochistan Province Economic Development Forum. On March 28 of this year， the 2nd Gwadar International Commodities Fair was successfully held， which was attended by Yao Jing， the Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan； Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and some other Pakistani government officials. About over 200 exhibitors and 10000 purchasers attended the fair. From October 29 to 30， 2018， the Asian Parliamentary Assembly was held in Gwadar， a port city of Pakistan. At the meeting， the participating countries and various international agencies reached consensus in various fields and adopted several drafts of deliberations.

In addition， COPHC also focuses on the people’s livelihood. On August 7， the construction of a sheep house in one corner of the free zone was officially completed. Mr. Jia Xingfu， manager of the sheep farm and also administrative manager of COPHC Free Zone Company， served as a shepherd after his work. With the bleat drawing near， the flock of sheep with red flowers on their heads appeared. These 19 sheep were the first to live in the new sheep house.“We have signed a poverty alleviation agreement with Gwadar， according to which the government selected 14 poor families to work on the sheep farm.” Through the construction of three phases， the sheep farm is expected to contain 10，000 sheep in the future. “75% of the household here are engaged in fishery， and animal husbandry still remains in the most primitive state of stocking.” Through poverty alleviation， the animal husbandry of Gwadar may witness a 5，000 square metres sheep cot in the future.

Another plan to change Gwadar has a longer term-- planting green plants throughout Gwadar. When talking about this， Hu Yaozong repeated one word-- “difficult”. How difficult is it？ Wang Ruilei， who works for a forestation company responsible for green plants in the zone， told us the difficulties in it. From his arrival in May 2016， he has led a team to try constantly，“we brought the willow and apple trees from China， but they couldn’t grow here.” As the land in the zone is created through sea reclamation， the saltness is too high， and some of the areas were desolate before， every trial failed. “Take the grassland which we can see in the zone for example. Don’t look down upon these grasses， it took us two years to plant these grasses.”After testing dozens of plant varieties， the team finally succeeded， transforming Gwadar Port from a desert to “garden port”. To this end， COPHC has created a Gwadar Million Afforestation Project. Moreover， the restored freshwater treatment plant in the zone will increase the supply of fresh water to the city from currently 300，000 gallons per day to 1.5 million gallons per day. In addition， COPHC also cooperated with China Foundation for Peace and Development to build China-Pakistan Faqeer High School…

In the past six years， Gwadar Port obtained fruitful achievements. For the future， they have a clear development path and orientation. In the next six years， we hope that it will “scale new heights”.