CPEC created 155,000 jobs in Pakistan and keeps growing after a decade

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is marking its 10th anniversary this year, has played an important role in bilateral cooperation between China and Pakistan and created over 155,000 local jobs for Pakistani people, China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Wednesday.

During a regular press conference, the NDRC said the CPEC has achieved fruitful results, including the Gwadar Port and relevant cooperation projects in energy, infrastructure and industry.

Specifically, multiple highway construction programs are progressing on schedule. Power plants that have entered commercial operation provide nearly one-third of Pakistan’s national electricity demand, having changed the situation of power shortage in Pakistan.

The Gwadar Port co-built by China and Pakistan has made great progress in creating a regional logistics hub and industrial base. In addition, the construction of the first phase of the Rashakai Special Economic Zone in Pakistan has been completed and achieved positive results in business attraction, said the NDRC.

As of the end of 2022, the CPEC had created 236,000 jobs, and the number of Pakistani workers reached 155,000.

The NDRC vowed to accelerate cooperation in transport, energy and industrial sectors and areas related to people’s livelihoods, and further expand collaboration in the agricultural, mineral and technological fields.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also hailed the CPEC as a shining example of the Belt and Road Imitative (BRI) at the 4th round of the Foreign Minister-level Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue held in Islamabad.

In order to expand the influence of the CPEC, the foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to extend the program to Afghanistan, to further advance cooperation under the BRI.

As a landlocked country, Afghanistan mainly relies on Pakistani ports for international trade. Afghanistan has become the first among landlocked Central Asian countries to benefit from using the Chinese-invested Gwadar Port in Pakistan for future cross-border trade.

After several rounds of consultations with relevant authorities in Pakistan, the Gwadar Port finally obtained an e-export trade license with Afghanistan in the second half of 2019, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce.

In 2020, Afghanistan imported 43,000 tons of fertilizer via the port, contributing to its agricultural development.