Pakistan, China renew pledge to reignite CPEC projects

Reassuring seamless cooperation, officials on both sides on Monday vowed to accelerate the progress on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is a cornerstone of bilateral relations.

A pledge to this effect was renewed during a productive meeting between Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Prof Ahsan Iqbal, and Zhao Chenxin, the vice-chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China, at the NDRC headquarters in Beijing on Monday.

The minister was accompanied by Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi. The meeting underscored the mutual commitment of Pakistan and China to further strengthen their “All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”.

Both sides reviewed the progress of the CPEC with an emphasis on ensuring the timely completion of projects and launching an upgraded version of the corridor as per the agreement reached at the leadership level. 

They highlighted the significance of CPEC projects in enhancing connectivity, trade, and socio-economic development in the region.

It was agreed to fast-track the work on the ML-I project, KKH realignment, for which both sides signed the framework agreement last month, and the Sukkur-Hyderabad motorway, which is the only missing link within the Karachi-Peshawar motorway network. 

Discussions were also held on expanding the scope of cooperation to new areas such as technology, innovation, education, connectivity, and renewable energy.

The planning minister recalled the productive meeting with Chenxin in May this year. He conveyed Pakistan’s deep appreciation for President Xi’s visionary initiatives like BRI, Global Development Initiative (GDI), and Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI) and their transformational impact in social and economic terms across the developing world.

The minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to revitalising CPEC in its next phase through the operationalisation of the five corridors of growth, livelihoods, innovation, green development, and inclusivity. 

“The vision of five corridors is well aligned with Pakistan’s 5Es Framework (exports, e-Pakistan, environment, equity, energy and education),” Iqbal said. He also discussed ways to bring more predictability in convening meetings of the JWG and JCC mechanisms.

Iqbal expressed his gratitude to the Chinese leadership for their unwavering support and collaboration. He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to facilitating Chinese investments and ensuring the success of CPEC projects. 

Chenxin highlighted the potential for increased Chinese investment in Pakistan, particularly in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) being developed under CPEC.

The Chinese official reaffirmed China’s support for Pakistan’s development initiatives and expressed confidence in the continued success of the partnership between the two countries.

The meeting concluded with both leaders expressing optimism about the future of Pakistan-China relations and their shared vision of prosperity and development for their people.