September 29, 2023 (MLN): China and Pakistan are committed to expand the scope of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to include new areas of cooperation, the Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives reaffirmed while rejecting the propaganda that China does not want to expand the scope of the CPEC.
“The story published in this regard was fabricated, factually incorrect, and had misleading information,” the ministry added.
According to the Planning Ministry, the CPEC projects have already been implemented and are ongoing in Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the coastal areas.
Areas such as water resources management, climate change, and tourism 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.
Moreover, China and Pakistan have a time-tested friendship, and CPEC has greatly enhanced Pakistan's energy, logistical, and physical infrastructure capabilities.
The benefits of CPEC are widely distributed throughout Pakistan.
Both sides are fully resolved to harness the investments in infrastructure for economic growth, particularly in export-oriented industries, agriculture productivity, and natural resource management, all while enhancing partnerships in addressing the concerns of climate change and sustainable development.
