China has expressed keen interest to invest in Pakistan’s communication sector, with major projects including the M-6 and M-9 Motorways, the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road, the up-gradation of the Karakoram Highway and infrastructure developments at Gwadar Port and Airport under active consideration.
The development came during a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the 12th meeting of the Ministers of Transport of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Tuesday, where Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan met with Chinese Minister for Transport Liu Wei. They discussed various issues including progress on the western alignment of CPEC, the promotion of E-Commerce and the scheduled completion of the Bhasha Dam by 2029.
Discussions were also held on developing trade corridors through China linking Afghanistan, Iran and other countries, said a press release issued here on Tuesday.
Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan expressed gratitude for China’s continued support and stated that Pakistan is prioritizing improvements in Communications Infrastructure, Trade Corridors, and Motorways. He formally invited Minister Transport of China Liu Wei to visit Pakistan and affirmed that Pakistan welcomes foreign investment in its Communications Sector. He emphasized preference for both Business-to-Business (B2B) and Government-to-Government (G2G) partnerships in road infrastructure development in Pakistan.
Chinese Transport Minister Liu Wei lauded Pakistan’s active participation in the SCO meeting and noted that working in Pakistan holds significant value for Chinese experts and engineers, as well. He reiterated that the Pakistan-China relationship is enduring and grounded in mutual cooperation. Both ministers also exchanged views on the proposed visit of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to China in August 2025 and future bilateral cooperation, particularly within the SCO framework. It is noteworthy that, in addition to Pakistan, participating countries in the SCO meeting include India, Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and China. The formal meeting and joint communiqué of the SCO Ministers of Transport is scheduled for July 2.