Islamabad: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal on Monday left for China to attend the 14th meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Speaking before his departure to Beijing, the minister underlined the strategic significance of the meeting in shaping the future of Pakistan-China economic cooperation. He said China had always supported Pakistan in difficult times.
He added that the 14th JCC session would serve as a platform to translate the vision of CPEC Phase II into reality, with focus on industrial cooperation, technological innovation and sustainable development. According to him, Pakistan has now embarked on a new journey of economic growth and prosperity, with key economic indicators showing improvement in recent months.
The JCC is the top decision-making forum under the CPEC framework. It is co-chaired by Pakistan’s Minister for Planning and China’s Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The body provides strategic guidance, reviews and approves major projects, and coordinates the work of sectoral groups.
Currently, several Joint Working Groups (JWGs) function under the JCC in areas including energy, transport infrastructure, Gwadar development, industrial cooperation, agriculture, socio-economic development, and science and technology.
Since its inception in 2013, the JCC has been convened regularly to steer the CPEC agenda. While Phase I of the corridor focused on energy and infrastructure, Phase II is centered on industrialization, technology transfer, agricultural modernization and people-to-people linkages.
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