Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal chairs CPEC JWGs, 13th JCC review-meeting

Ahsan

Pakistan is eying the meeting of the 13th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) to kick off phase-II of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The 13th meeting of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) will be held in June or July this year in Pakistan, official source told The Nation. The source however said that no dates have yet been finalized for the 13th JCC meeting, which is more likely to be finalized during the Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s visit to Beijing.

In this regard, a review-meeting of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Joint Working Groups (CPEC-JWGs) and the 13th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) was held here Thursday. Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal chaired the meeting which was attended by Secretary Ministry of Planning Awais Manzur Sumra, and other senior officials of the ministry. The minister was briefed on the preparations for the 13th JCC and the progress on projects such as Main Line-1 (ML-1), Karakoram Highway Phase-2, Karachi Circular Railway and Dera Ismail Khan-Zhob.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would soon visit China to further strengthen economic ties between the two countries, Ahsan Iqbal said. He directed the officials concerned to finalize a strategy to ensure fast-track implementation on memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and other agreements on priority basis. The minister warned that no hurdles in the implementation of CPEC agreements would be tolerated, directing the officials concerned to ensure regular meetings of the JWGs. He also asked the relevant ministries to ensure participation in the decision-making process and to prepare a solid agenda for the 13th JCC. A presentation on the overall progress, CPEC phase-II and upcoming JCC meeting will be given to Prime Minister prior to his departure to Beijing, said the source. The meeting also reviewed the progress on the recommendations made during the 12th JCC and JWGs held July 2023 in Beijing. Pakistan will host the 13th JCC meeting.