Pakistan and China have once again underscored their shared vision for an enhanced and modernized China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), affirming their commitment to elevate the initiative into a new chapter of inclusive development and strategic connectivity.
During a meeting in Islamabad on August 21, 2025, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, agreed to advance new CPEC projects—though specific details are yet to be released. They emphasized cooperation across science, technology, industry, and agriculture, reflecting a broader, multi-dimensional approach to partnership.
In parallel, Wang highlighted China’s intention to support Pakistan in areas like industrialization, agriculture, and mining, while reaffirming Beijing’s support for Pakistan’s sovereignty, development goals, and counter-terrorism efforts. He also encouraged expansion of the CPEC initiative to include third-party participation and called for an “upgrade” of the corridor.
This reaffirmation of CPEC underscores the deepening all-weather strategic partnership between Beijing and Islamabad. Previously, high-level gatherings such as the 5th meeting of the CPEC Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination (JWG-ICC) held in Beijing in January 2025 had already committed to a “high-quality” development of CPEC 2.0. That vision places a strong emphasis on industrialization, Special Economic Zones (SEZs), clean energy, agriculture, livelihood programs, and green development—aligned with Pakistan’s national 5 Es framework: Exports, e-Pakistan, Energy, Environment, and Equity.
At the 6th China-South Asia Cooperation Forum in Kunming (June 2025), both countries reconfirmed their resolve to accelerate key CPEC projects, particularly in agriculture technology, mining, industrial parks, offshore energy, environmental protection, and connectivity infrastructure. They also welcomed third-party engagement in these projects as a means to foster shared regional prosperity.
Collectively, these reaffirmations signal that CPEC is evolving from an infrastructure corridor into a multifaceted development platform—embracing innovation, inclusion, sustainability, and regional integration. By upgrading the scope of CPEC, Pakistan and China intend to translate their long-standing strategic ties into tangible socio-economic uplift across Pakistan, reinforcing the corridor’s role as a cornerstone of regional stability and shared growth.
