Daily Times

Minister of State for IT and Telecommunications, Shaza Fatima Khawja said that in the next stage, the collaboration between Pakistan and China would extend from traditional to new or upgraded economic corridors such as transportation, circulation and exchange of data.

“Pakistan’s human resources could not be underestimated in the world. 60% of our population is under the age of 35, which is both an opportunity and a challenge. By working closely with China to provide systematic sci-tech training to such a huge talent pool, we are going to maximize the role of our valuable resources in such a digital age,” she said at the EuroAsia Pakistan Digital Economy Forum held in Beijing. The Minister gave a detailed introduction to the experience gained by Prime Minister Sharif after his recent visit to China with a delegation, repeatedly emphasizing that the Pakistani government has regarded the digital field as a top priority for current governance, CEN reported on Thursday.

Dr. Zhao Baige, recipient of the “Medal of Excellence Crescent” National Honorary Medal of Pakistan, echoed by a series of specific suggestion. “Training of all types and levels badly need to be a top priority. Training at not only the government level, but also non-governmental and corporate levels should be included in the entire system, due to the cross-border connections are the key to the success of the entire digital economy revolution.”

Moreover, Pakistani partners are very eager to form a CPEC digital economy park, in which Beijing has very rich experience. We hope that through our step-by-step construction, the China-Pakistan Digital Corridor will become an important leader in the global digital economy.

Regarding the digitalized CPEC, participants from both countries contributed wonderful ideas. “We are working hard to build our communication network through cables from China to Karachi and other cities in Pakistan under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. In the future, whether it is Xinjiang, Karachi, or Gwadar Port, the digital corridor will make a huge difference,” Marouf Ali Shahani, COO of Cyber Network Company, introduced.