According to Cheng, for many years, construction of Diamer-Bhasha Dam in Pakistan has been an issue of public concern. Due to well-known reasons, the list of 22 major projects in the first phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) could not include the project.

In 2013, Pakistan’s Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) issued a request for proposal to American, British, German companies, and after that, also asked the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the United States and China for financing assistance.

In July 2018, Pakistan established a fund to raise funds for the project at home and abroad. Some years ago, some Pakistani officials suggested that this project might be included in the list of  CPEC.

Diamer-Bhasha Dam will be the largest water conservancy project in Pakistan. When construction is completed, it will be the world’s highest and largest roller compacted concrete ( RCC) dam project, known as Pakistan’s “Three Gorges”.