Level 1
China-Pakistan Relations MCQs set 2 for NTS FBR Tax Facilitation Current Affairs — 20 solved questions.
Q1. Which Chinese-assisted nuclear power plants in Karachi form part of Pakistan's civilian nuclear energy expansion?
Answer: K-2 and K-3
Explanation: K-2 and K-3 (Karachi Nuclear Power Plants 2 and 3), built with Chinese assistance using Hualong One reactor technology, are Pakistan's newest and largest nuclear power units and central to the country's civilian nuclear energy expansion strategy.
Q2. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor connects Kashgar in China to which Pakistani port?
Answer: Gwadar Port
Explanation: CPEC runs from Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region to Gwadar Port in Balochistan, Pakistan, connecting China's interior to the Arabian Sea and cutting shipping distances to the Middle East.
Q3. Which phase of CPEC focuses on industrial cooperation and Special Economic Zones?
Answer: Phase 2
Explanation: CPEC Phase II focuses on industrial cooperation, agricultural development, and the establishment of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), moving beyond Phase I's emphasis on energy projects and road/rail infrastructure to develop Pakistan's industrial and export base.
Q4. Which Pakistani economic corridor project is considered the flagship of the Belt and Road Initiative?
Answer: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
Explanation: CPEC is universally described as the flagship project of China's Belt and Road Initiative; it represents the largest bilateral BRI investment and serves as a showcase for BRI's model of infrastructure-led connectivity and economic development.
Q5. Gwadar port development under CPEC is being managed by which Chinese company?
Answer: China Overseas Port Holding Company
Explanation: Gwadar port operations and development are managed by China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) under a 40-year lease agreement, giving the Chinese firm operational control over the strategic deep-sea port.
Q6. Pakistan's approximate total investment figure associated with CPEC as cited in government documents is?
Answer: $62 billion
Explanation: Pakistan's government documents in recent years have cited the total CPEC investment figure at approximately $62 billion, reflecting updated estimates that include both Phase I completed projects and Phase II pipeline commitments.
Q7. A series of attacks on Chinese engineers working on CPEC projects in Balochistan escalates in 2023. China privately signals that further investments may be paused unless security guarantees are provided. What is the most effective immediate diplomatic-security response Pakistan can offer?
Answer: Establish a dedicated security division for CPEC sites, provide China with a formal written security assurance protocol, and offer joint monitoring mechanisms
Explanation: Establishing a dedicated CPEC security division, coupled with formal written assurances and joint monitoring, addresses China's specific concern about investment continuity while demonstrating Pakistani institutional commitment rather than ad hoc responses.
Q8. Which Chinese company holds the operating rights to Gwadar Port under a 40-year lease?
Answer: China Overseas Port Holdings Company
Explanation: China Overseas Port Holdings Company (COPHC) holds a 40-year operating concession for Gwadar Port under a 2015 agreement, managing port operations as the cornerstone of CPEC's maritime gateway.
Q9. A major criticism of CPEC concerning economic repayment obligations is referred to as what?
Answer: Debt sustainability concern
Explanation: Critics of CPEC highlight debt sustainability concerns, noting that Pakistan's capacity payments and loan repayments to Chinese IPPs and project financiers add to external debt obligations that strain foreign exchange reserves and the current account.
Q10. Under CPEC's Phase 2, which area of cooperation was particularly expanded to include Chinese agricultural investment?
Answer: Agricultural collaboration
Explanation: CPEC Phase 2 broadened the corridor's scope beyond infrastructure and energy to include agricultural collaboration, with provisions for Chinese investment in farming, food processing, and livestock development across Pakistan.
Q11. What does CPEC stand for in the context of Pakistan-China relations?
Answer: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
Explanation: CPEC stands for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the approximately $62 billion infrastructure and investment network connecting China's Xinjiang region to Pakistan's Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea.
Q12. What is the total estimated investment value of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)?
Answer: 62 billion USD
Explanation: CPEC's total estimated investment has been revised upward over successive phases; the figure commonly cited by Pakistani and Chinese officials for the overall CPEC investment envelope is approximately $62 billion, encompassing energy, infrastructure, and SEZ projects.
Q13. Which country is the largest bilateral trading partner of Pakistan as of 2024?
Answer: China
Explanation: China has been Pakistan's largest bilateral trading partner since at least 2015, supplying the bulk of Pakistan's machinery, electronics, and consumer goods imports under the bilateral Free Trade Agreement.
Q14. Pakistan signed the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement Phase-II (CPFTA-II) which came into force in which year?
Answer: 2019
Explanation: The China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement Phase-II was signed in April 2019 and entered into force on January 1, 2020, expanding the tariff concessions of the original 2007 CPFTA and improving Pakistani market access to China.
Q15. Which agreement defines the framework for CPEC and was signed between Pakistan and China in April 2015?
Answer: Belt and Road Initiative Framework Agreement
Explanation: The Belt and Road Initiative Framework Agreement signed between Pakistan and China in April 2015 during President Xi Jinping's visit to Islamabad formalised CPEC as Pakistan's primary component of China's BRI.
Q16. Which term describes the mechanism by which Pakistan rescheduled payments on CPEC-related Chinese commercial loans during 2023 economic crisis negotiations?
Answer: Debt Rollover
Explanation: Pakistan secured a rollover - or debt rollover - of Chinese commercial loans, meaning repayment deadlines were extended without reducing the principal owed, allowing Pakistan to avoid immediate default while preserving the debt on its balance sheet.
Q17. Which country provided the largest share of COVID-19 vaccines to Pakistan through COVAX in 2021?
Answer: China
Explanation: China provided the largest share of vaccines to Pakistan in 2021 through a combination of COVAX allocations and bilateral donations, supplying millions of Sinovac and Sinopharm doses that formed the backbone of Pakistan's initial vaccination campaign.
Q18. Which country supplied the reactor technology for the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant (CHASNUPP)?
Answer: China
Explanation: China's CNNC supplied the pressurized-water reactor technology for CHASNUPP under bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreements signed after Pakistan was excluded from Nuclear Suppliers Group arrangements with Western countries.
Q19. The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (K-2 and K-3), based on Hualong One reactor design, were supplied by which country?
Answer: China
Explanation: The Hualong One (HPR-1000) reactor is a third-generation pressurized-water design developed by CNNC and CGN in China; K-2 achieved first criticality in 2020 and K-3 in 2021, both supplied under a Pakistan-China civil nuclear cooperation framework.
Q20. What is the total estimated investment of CPEC?
Answer: $62 billion
Explanation: CPEC was announced with a total estimated investment of USD 62 billion, encompassing energy projects, infrastructure, and special economic zones under the broader Belt and Road Initiative framework.