Pakistan, China begin high-level talks to advance second phase of flagship Belt and Road project
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China opened the 14th meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Beijing on Friday, Radio Pakistan said, with officials pledging to expand cooperation in the second phase of the multibillion-dollar infrastructure program.
CPEC, launched in 2015 as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, saw more than $25 billion invested in energy and transport projects during its first phase, including motorways, power plants and the Gwadar port. The second phase is expected to shift the focus to industrial cooperation, agriculture, technology and human capital development.
CPEC projects have stalled in recent years due to persistent security threats to Chinese workers and bureaucratic delays, and Islamabad is now seeking to revive momentum under the second phase.
“CPEC Phase-II will mark a new era of people and youth-focused development,” Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal was quoted by Radio Pakistan as saying, with projects such as PhD scholarships, innovation centers and internships in Chinese institutions.
