Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Measures, Professor Ahsan Iqbal, conducted a thorough assessment of the progress made on CPEC initiatives, as well as preparations for the forthcoming Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) gathering.
Attending the meeting were key officials, including the Secretary of Planning, Secretary of Communications, the Executive Director of the CPEC Authority, and representatives from relevant ministries.
During the session, it was disclosed that seven meetings of CPEC joint working groups had taken place. These discussions covered a range of topics, including socio-economic development (December 16, 2021), industrial cooperation (April 8, 2022), industry and corporation (April 8, 2022), science and technology (April 20), transport infrastructure (June 2022), and AHT (July 28, 2022).
The Secretary of Information Technology and Telecommunication provided a comprehensive overview of the JWG meeting, highlighting the agreement reached on ten specific areas of IT cooperation.
Looking ahead, it was revealed that the JWG focused on agriculture would convene in the third week of September 2022, with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research finalizing proposals for this meeting.
Officials from the Power Division shared that the agenda for the JWG on energy had been finalized, with the meeting scheduled for September 2022. The Federal Minister urged the swift approval of the energy policy for Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) to advance planned GB projects.
Additionally, the Federal Minister stressed the importance of incorporating the development and production of solar panels for both domestic and export purposes into the meeting's agenda. Furthermore, he directed the inclusion of proposals for collaboration with Chinese partners on water purification and treatment technologies within the CPEC framework.
Further JWG meetings on safety and security, as well as the long-term plan for CPEC, are anticipated in September.