Pakistan and China to advance CPEC Phase 2 amid regional tensions

Minister Ahsan Iqbal briefs international media on CPEC Phase 2 progress. [Gwadar Pro/Tahir Ali]

 ISLAMABAD, Jun 18 (Gwadar Pro) - Despite regional tensions, Pakistan remains committed to advancing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with full momentum, said Federal Minister for Planning and Development Professor Ahsan Iqbal during a briefing with international media in Islamabad on Tuesday.

 

“CPEC will move forward,” Iqbal assured, adding that Pakistan and China are preparing for the 14th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting by the end of July to approve the roadmap for Phase 2. “We are hoping and anticipating that the 14th JCC will take place, in which we will approve the next roadmap,” he said.

 

Phase 2 of CPEC will revolve around five corridors: growth, innovation, green energy, livelihoods, and inclusive regional development. “Both sides have formulated their preconditions after two weeks of expert-level workshops,” Iqbal revealed.

 

Highlighting new regional outreach, he noted, “China and Pakistan have agreed to also include Afghanistan in the cooperation framework of CPEC that provides us logistics to go to Central Asia and beyond.”

 

“We are working on a multimodal transport framework to set up road and rail links through Afghanistan to Central Asia,” Mr. Iqbal added.