China, Pakistan to hold JCC meeting on Sept 23

ISLAMABAD: The governments of China and Pakistan have agreed to hold a Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting on September 23, the first one in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s tenure. 

According to details, Chinese ambassador to Pakistan and Pakistan’s ambassador in China would co-chair the 10 JCC meetings.

Earlier, the Chinese government had postponed the meeting in July this year after a bomb blast killed nine Chinese and five Pakistani nationals in the Dasu bus tragedy.

Sources said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has formed a committee under the chair of Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to resolve Chinese investors’ concerns within a month’s time.

The Chinese government is reportedly satisfied with the initiatives taken by the PTI government, and especially by the Minister for Planning, development and Special Initiatives, Asad Umar, in facilitating investors.

Sources said that all pending development projects are expected to be approved under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) umbrella.

Earlier, it was reported that 27 projects including 17 fast-track and 10 priority ones had been identified for development under the first phase of the CPEC back in 2014.

Both sides had agreed to complete fast track projects within the first year while priority were to be completed in three years; however, only four fast-track projects have been completed while work on the remaining six was under way.

 

Shahzad Paracha
Shahzad Paracha
The writer is a member of Pakistan Today's Islamabad bureau. He can be reached at [email protected]

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