ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and China Association of Higher Education (CAHE) jointly organised the first Pakistan-China Forum titled: Challenges of Equitable Access and Quality in Higher Education at Air University, Islamabad on Monday. Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal was the chief guest. Dr Arshad Ali, HEC executive director, Lt Gen (r) Muhammad Asghar, CPEC Consultant HEC, CAHE delegates, and a large number of academicians were also present. Speaking on the occasion, the minister appreciated the role of HEC in building CPEC University Alliance and CPEC Consortium of Business Schools. “These efforts will help build collaborative linkages and intellectual connectivity which symbolise the spirit of CPEC,” he said. He maintained that the government was fully supportive of HEC in capacity-building of existing higher education institutions to prepare suitable human resource for CPEC and promote cultural harmony between the two countries. “CPEC means Pakistan’s entry into the global supply chain,” he said. In his address, Dr Arshad Ali thanked the government’s commitment for promotion of higher education in the country which, he said, was not only a goal, but also a pre-requisite for a knowledge-based economy. He also shared various initiatives of HEC with regard to HEC Vision 2025. Earlier in his welcome address, Air University Vice Chancellor Faaiz Amir and Muhammad Asghar shed light on theme of the forum. The forum focused on three areas, including the national role and contribution in improving quality of higher education, ensuring quality with large scale increase in access, and balancing quality of higher education in diverse regions. The forum was also addressed by Diaomei Wang, leader of the Chinese delegation. Published in Daily Times, July 18th, 2017.