Engineering Post Report
The 14th meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of great game changer China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is likely to be held sometime in July 2025.
Both China and Pakistan have agreed on holding the JCC meeting sometime in July 2025 .However, it was not immediately known as to when and where the upcoming JCC deliberations will be held in Beijing or Islamabad. Exact dates and the venue for the JCC meeting will hopefully be decided in the coming weeks through mutual deliberations at the appropriate level by China and Pakistan.
The upcoming JCC is important as it was being held when Pakistan was bracing up for launching of the CPEC phase after successfully completing the first phase.
The meeting was likely to consider expansion of the CPEC with the launching of five new development corridors with focus on growth, innovation, green development, livelihood improvement and regional connectivity. These corridors were designed to broaden the scope of CPEC, making it more comprehensive and inclusive and decide on undertaking a large number of more projects for undertaking these under the overall framework in different sectors during the second phase of the CPEC, list of which has already been shared with the Chinese side at the appropriate level.
Among the key projects identified for possible collaboration included the follow-up technical support for the New Gwadar International Airport project, the second phase of the East Bay Expressway and the realignment of the Karakoram Highway (Raikot -Thakot section) diversion has been necessitated due to the construction of Dasu Dam.
Quite obviously, the Pakistani side was also keen on advancing the mega Main line-1 (ML-1) railway project and the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) both projects were hanging in the air for quite some time mainly due to China’s concessional financing.
Both these projects were regarded as quite critical for boosting the infrastructure sector in Pakistan.
The list also included projects in the energy sector , minerals resources, industrial sector science and technology , development of digital infrastructure.
The list of more than 70 projects in different sectors for possible Chinese collaboration in the second phase of CPEC needlessly reflected Pakistan’s efforts to further strengthen the economic ties with China. The proposed projects were also expected to bolster Pakistan’s infrastructure, energy resources, industrial development, and digital transformation besides also enhancing regional connectivity and promoting sustainable development.
