ISLAMABAD: Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal highlighted a new phase of cooperation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) at a media interaction session held in Beijing, stressing that both sides had formally launched CPEC 2.0.
Speaking to media after the 14th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting on CPEC held on Saturday in Beijing, the minister said CPEC Phase II aligns Pakistan’s Five Es Framework with the new direction of the corridor.
The framework, which envisions Pakistan’s transformation into a $1 trillion economy by 2035, focuses on exports, equity, environment, energy, and e-governance.
The minister explained that the two countries had agreed to establish five specialized corridors that will shape the initiative’s next decade and beyond.
These include a corridor of growth to boost Pakistan’s exports, job creation, and economic expansion; a corridor of livelihoods to target poverty alleviation and socio-economic uplift in underdeveloped areas; a corridor of innovation to shift from brick-and-mortar projects toward enterprise, research, and technology, including the creation of a Pakistan-China “digital silk route”; a green corridor to prioritize renewable energy, sustainable growth, and climate resilience in the face of repeated floods; and a corridor of open and regional connectivity to expand Pakistan’s transport infrastructure, link it with Afghanistan and Central Asia, and extend the benefits of connectivity beyond the two countries.
Calling CPEC Phase II people-centric, the minister placed strong emphasis on youth and education. Pakistan has proposed training 10,000 Ph.D. scholars in China’s top universities in fields such as artificial intelligence, engineering, and emerging sciences over the next decade. By 2047, Pakistan hopes to evolve into a $3 trillion, technology-driven economy.
In partnership with Chinese institutions, he added, we will expand vocational and technical training to equip Pakistan’s young workforce with practical, employment-oriented skills.
The minister shared that both sides also agreed to establish joint laboratories in artificial intelligence and quantum computing, launch a “Future Skills Program” covering IT, robotics, fintech, and biotechnology, and pilot climate-smart agriculture projects. Cooperation will further extend to realigning the Karakoram Highway, developing a mineral corridor in Balochistan, and enhancing multi-modal transport links with Central Asia.
The minister stressed that CPEC Phase II will increasingly shift from government-to-government to business-to-business collaboration. Following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit earlier this month, where $8.5 billion worth of agreements were signed at a Beijing business forum, Pakistan has set up dedicated facilitation desks and eased visa processes to attract Chinese investment.
He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the safety of Chinese nationals, calling them guests treated like family. Any security incidents, he said, were the work of foreign-sponsored elements aimed at undermining bilateral cooperation, but Pakistan and China would defeat such designs together.
Underscoring the unique nature of the partnership, the minister remarked that the friendship between Pakistan and China “has never seen an autumn; it has always blossomed like spring.” He stressed that Pakistan’s close ties with China are not at the expense of other partners.
“CPEC’s first decade transformed Pakistan’s infrastructure,” the minister said.
“The next phase will transform lives—bringing jobs, innovation, and hope for a more advanced, inclusive economy,” the minister concluded.
