Pakistan, China committed to expanding CPEC: ministry

ISLAMABAD: China and Pakistan are committed to expanding the scope of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to include new areas of cooperation, such as water resources management, climate change and tourism.

An official statement issued by the Ministry of Planning stated on Thursday that these areas were already part of the CPEC long-term plan and both sides agreed during the deliberations before the 11th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) to work out the detailed contours of these projects in upcoming sessions of respective Joint Working Groups (JWGs).

The JWGs are technical bodies comprising experts from both sides, who are responsible for conceiving and evaluating project proposals in their respective areas. This is a standard procedure for CPEC projects, and it ensures that all proposals are carefully considered and that they meet the goals and objectives of the CPEC long-term plan.

According to the Planning Ministry, some of the CPEC projects have already been implemented while others are underway in Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the coastal areas. More projects are planned in these areas in the future.