Islamabad, Pakistan and China have mutually agreed to focus on high-quality advancements in several critical sectors, including industry, agriculture, information technology, and science and technology, under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
According to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, this agreement was reached during the 4th meeting of the CPEC Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination held in Islamabad. The meeting, co-chaired by Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi and China’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Sun Weidong, marked a significant step in bolstering international cooperation and coordination, particularly concerning CPEC.
Both countries underscored the central role of CPEC in enhancing international and regional connectivity, praising the project’s open and inclusive nature. The Foreign Secretary highlighted CPEC’s pivotal role in fostering win-win cooperation and sustainable development, emphasizing the potential for third-party engagement in mutually beneficial ventures.
In light of the ongoing evolution of CPEC, Pakistan and China strongly dismissed disinformation campaigns and distorted reporting about the initiative, stressing the importance of countering false narratives and misinformation.
The meeting also recalled the discussions from the Second and Third Pakistan-China Think Tanks Forums held in September 2022 and July 2023. Both sides expressed their support for cooperation between media and think tanks, agreeing on the sharing of best practices and the creation of an intellectual knowledge pool about CPEC and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This initiative aims to enhance international communication and cooperation regarding these projects.