China Eximbank suspends debt service payments on 12 government concessional loans for various projects from January-June 2021 (Linked to Project ID#39015, #37286, #36242, #43298, #36953, #37016, #41916, #36237, #54420, #52525, #39013, #72395)

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting that took place on April 15, 2020 and on November 13, 2020, the Chinese Government agreed to work with other G20 members to implement the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). Then, on November 19, 2020, China Eximbank and the Government of Pakistan signed a debt suspension agreement [No. DSSI2021PHASE1-030]. Under the terms of the agreement, the lender agreed to suspend principal and interest payments due between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021 under twelve government concessional loan (GCL) agreements that the Government of Pakistan and China Eximbank signed between 2009 and 2017: an RMB 234 million GCL for the Construction of Cross Border Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) System Project (captured via Project ID#39015), an RMB 1,040,400,000 GCL for the Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite (PRSS-I) Project (captured via Project ID#37286), an RMB 486,339,000 GCL for the Procurement of X-Ray Inspection System Project (captured via Project ID#36242), an RMB 1.35 billion GCL for the Paksat-1R Satellite System Project (captured via Project ID#43298), an RMB 86,500,000 GCL for the Paksat-1R Satellite Ground Control Segment Project (captured via Project ID#36953), an RMB 850,000,000 GCL for the Safe City Islamabad Project (captured via Project ID#37016), an RMB 2,647,000,000 GCL for the Karachi Nuclear Power Unit-2/Unit-3 Project (captured via Project ID#41916), an RMB 713,000,000 GCL for the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit-3/Unit-4 Project (captured via Project ID#36237), an RMB 1.2 billion GCL for the Lahore Orange Line Project (captured via Project ID#54420), an RMB 1.2 billion GCL for the Karakoram Highway Phase II Project (Havelian to Thakot) (captured via Project ID#52525), an RMB 4.87 billion GCL for the Peshawar-Karachi Motorway Project (Sukkur to Multan) (captured via Project ID#39013), and an RMB 585 million GCL for the Additional Financing for Karakoram Highway Improvement Project (captured via Project ID#72395). The total estimated suspension amount under the GCLs was RMB 241,470,106.38. However, at the time that the parties signed the debt suspension agreement, they both acknowledged that the total suspension amount would ultimately be determined at the end of the suspension period (since loan disbursements could be made during the suspension period and the lender agreed to suspend the payment of interest accrued on any disbursements during the suspension period). The lender and borrower agreed that the suspension of debt service would be undertaken on a net present value (NPV)-neutral basis. Therefore, the borrower agreed to pay interest accrued on the amount outstanding under the total suspension amount (‘Suspension Interest’) by paying the Suspension Interest on the amount outstanding under each loan agreement’s suspension amount at the same rate of interest set forth in the original loan agreement. The lender and the borrower agreed that the repayment of the suspension amount for each loan agreement would take place in 10 equal, successive, and semi-annual installments during a 5-year repayment period after a 1-year grace period (starting from and including the repayment date/repayment date of principal and interest falling within the suspension period). The first scheduled repayment date for the total suspension amount under the GCLs was September 21, 2022 and the last scheduled repayment date for the total suspension amount under the GCLs was March 21, 2027. Under the terms of the debt suspension agreement, the lender and the borrower also agreed that ‘[t]he suspension interest on the amount outstanding under the Suspension Amount concerning each Loan Agreement shall be calculated on the basis of the actual number of days elapsed and a year of 360 days, from and including the Repayment Date/Repayment Date of Principal and Interest falling within the Suspension Period to the date of payment in full of the corresponding Suspension Amount, and shall be paid in arrears on each Interest Payment Date under the corresponding Loan Agreement.’ The borrower also agreed that (1) ‘it shall continue to perform all its obligations […] under the Loan Agreements as supplemented and amended by [the debt suspension agreement]’; (2) ‘it shall use the created fiscal space to increase social, health, or economic spending in response to the COVID-19 crisis […]’ and ‘work closely with the International Financial Institutions who are expected to put in place a monitoring system’; (3) ‘it shall disclose to the Lender all Public Sector Financial Commitments (as defined in the Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014 (GFSM2014)), respecting commercially sensitive information’; and (4) ‘it shall contract no new non-concessional debt during the Suspension Period, other than agreements under the DSSI’.

Additional details

1. The debt suspension agreement [No. DSSI2021PHASE1-030] can be accessed in it entirety via https://www.dropbox.com/s/67n1oq44it27kvu/3.%20Debt%20Suspension%20Agreement%20for%20GCL%20Other%20Projects.pdf?dl=0

Number of official sources

6

Number of total sources

6