Daily Times

Chinese experts said that the continuously strengthened cooperation in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is poised to foster greater economic development momentum in Pakistan. It will also create new market potential for Chinese businesses.

The remarks were made as China and Pakistan recently unveiled five new corridors under CPEC, while Pakistani officials have reportedly expressed hope to revitalize cooperation within the BRI framework to bolster the country’s stagnating economy.

The identified five new corridors for the second phase of the CPEC include the Growth Corridor, the Economic Development Projects Corridor, the Innovation Corridor, the Green Corridor, and the Regional Connectivity Corridor.

At a high-level meeting, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal highlighted the revival of projects in Gwadar and the newly identified corridor programs were the latest progress made under CPEC, which he hailed as a milestone in Pakistan-China friendship, laying a robust foundation for bilateral cooperation.

China-Pakistan economic cooperation is being upgraded across a number of sectors. It is expected the next stage of bilateral ties will focus on agricultural technology, infrastructure upgrades, and quick-win projects, Liu Xiaoxue, an associate research fellow at the National Institute of International Strategy under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Amid intensifying global challenges, the importance of strengthening regional cooperation, especially between Pakistan and China’s vast Western regions, is growing for both countries. Liu noted that longstanding technical exchanges and trade cooperation between the two sides are expected to deepen.