ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal met Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong on Sunday to review the progress of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects and discuss preparations for the upcoming Joint Cooperation Committee meeting.
Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry also joined the meeting, along with senior officials from both sides.
Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan had completed the first phase of CPEC and was now focusing on industrial cooperation, agriculture, information technology, and social development in the second phase. He added that connecting CPEC to Central Asian states would improve regional economic stability and cooperation.
He said the government remained committed to strengthening the security of all CPEC-related projects. He noted that the development of Gwadar and the establishment of Special Economic Zones were top priorities, and the government aimed to fully utilize the port’s capacity.
He highlighted the potential for mineral exploration in and around Gwadar and said modern infrastructure could help in fully using the region’s mineral resources.
He also mentioned that agriculture graduates trained in China would support Pakistan in addressing the effects of climate change.
Ahsan Iqbal said the Pakistan Space Centre project was of national importance and that China would play a major role in its timely completion.
Ambassador Jiang Zaidong said China would continue to support Pakistan’s development and reaffirmed that bilateral cooperation would keep expanding in the years ahead.
