Pakistan, China vow to deepen ties, renew CPEC’s second phase

Pakistan and China have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their “all-weather strategic” partnership, with a focus on advancing the “high-quality development” of the second phase of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), according to media reports on Saturday.

This announcement was made during the fourth round of Pakistan-China Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC), which was held in Beijing on Friday, as reported by Geo News.

CPEC, which links Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan with China’s Xinjiang province, is a key initiative under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It aims to expand China’s global influence through infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investments.

The meeting, led by Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch for Pakistan and Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong for China, reviewed the full scope of cooperation between the two nations, concentrating on the projects supporting the development of CPEC 2.0.

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“Both sides agreed to further deepen their mutual partnerships in sectors such as information technology, agriculture and clean energy, driven by the concept of win-win cooperation and pursuit of people-centric, inclusive development,” according to an official press release.

The meeting acknowledged CPEC’s pivotal role in promoting regional connectivity and common prosperity, including through partnerships with other countries.

During the meeting, the foreign secretary described CPEC as the cornerstone of economic cooperation and a “shining symbol” of the enduring friendship between the two countries, according to the report.

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The Chinese vice foreign minister highlighted the mutually reinforcing relationship of the five new corridors introduced under CPEC 2.0, namely growth, livelihood, innovation, open and green corridor with Pakistan’s national development framework centred on 5 E’s, namely, Exports, E-Pakistan, Energy, Environment and Equity.

In the meeting, Baloch described the Pakistan-China relationship as “special” and “unique”, noting that the government and people of Pakistan deeply cherished the enduring friendship between the two countries.

Islamabad and Beijing also underscored the need to strengthen their mutual coordination at multilateral forums, including the United Nations Security Council, the statement added.

Later, the foreign secretary also held a meeting with Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu during which they exchanged views on bilateral ties as well as on regional and international issues of common interest, according to the report.

With inputs from agencies.