Pakistan, China reaffirm commitment to CPEC collaboration in 4th Joint Working Group Meeting

The 4th meeting of CPEC Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination (JWG-ICC) was held today in Islamabad. The meeting, which was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi and Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of China, Sun Weidong, exemplifies the commitment of both countries to foster international cooperation and coordination including on CPEC. The two sides reviewed with satisfaction the progress made since the third meeting of the Joint Working Group held virtually on 21 July 2022. The meeting underscored CPEC’s pioneering role in strengthening international and regional connectivity while appreciating the open and inclusive nature of this flagship project. Noting that Pakistan and China were All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partners and iron brothers, the Foreign Secretary reaffirmed the importance of CPEC in promoting win-win cooperation and sustainable development. He also emphasized on welcoming interested third parties to explore mutually beneficial avenues of cooperation. Recognising the evolution of CPEC, the two sides agreed to enhance focus on high quality advancements in industry, agriculture, information technology, and science and technology, and ensuring tangible socio-economic benefits for the people. They rejected the disinformation campaigns and distorted reporting on CPEC and stressed the need to counter fallacious narratives and misinformation. Recalling the deliberations of the Second and the Third Pakistan-China Think Tanks Forum in September 2022 and July 2023, the two sides expressed joint support for media and think tanks cooperation. They also agreed on sharing of best practices and generating an intellectual knowledge pool of CPEC and BRI development through enhanced international communication and cooperation.