Daily Times

China-Pakistan think tanks, the Institute for a Community with Shared Future (ICSF), and the Pakistan Research Center for a Community with Shared Future (PRCCSF) inaugurated the ‘Shared Future Bazaar’ in Islamabad.

Designed to foster connections through commodities with China and Central Asia, this unique market will not only retail imported goods from China and Central Asian countries in Pakistan but also provide a platform to export Pakistani products to China and the Central Asian regions.

The Chinese delegation from ICSF joined members of PRCCSF at the inauguration site.

Speaking to Gwadar Pro, Executive Director of PRCCSF, Khalid Taimur Akram, mentioned that this multibillion project will allocate space specifically for Chinese and Central Asian investors to showcase their products. He emphasized that the objective of the Shared Future Market is not just to introduce Chinese products but also to bridge landlocked Central Asian countries with China and Pakistan. “30% of the work is already completed, and the remaining construction is anticipated to conclude within the next two years.

Three floors of one of Islamabad’s largest malls will be reserved for this trade corridor,” he added.

Prof. Li Huailiang, Dean of ICSF at the Communication University of China (CUC), remarked during the ceremony that the project would leverage the CPEC route. He drew parallels between the historical significance of trading through the ancient Silk Road and the modern transformation of that route into the CPEC.

“The Shared Future Market will bolster bilateral ties between the Chinese and Pakistani communities,” he noted. In a related event, the Chinese delegation from CUC also inaugurated the ‘Social Media Cell’ at the PRCCSF headquarters in Islamabad.

This media cell will disseminate Chinese news in English, aiming to address and rectify misconceptions about CPEC and Chinese investments in Pakistan.