Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal highlighted a new phase of cooperation under CPEC at a media interaction session held in Beijing today, stressing that both sides had “formally launched CPEC Phase II.”
Speaking to media after the 14th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting on CPEC held today in Beijing, the minister said CPEC Phase II aligns Pakistan’s Five Es Framework with the new direction of the corridor.
Pakistan has proposed training 10,000 Ph.D. scholars in China’s top universities in fields such as artificial intelligence, engineering, and emerging sciences over the next decade. By 2047, Pakistan hopes to evolve into a $3 trillion, technology-driven economy. He added that vocational and technical training will be expanded in partnership with Chinese institutions to equip Pakistan’s young workforce with practical, employment-oriented skills.
The minister shared both sides also agreed to establish joint laboratories in artificial intelligence and quantum computing, launch a “Future Skills Program” covering IT, robotics, fintech, and biotechnology, and pilot climate-smart agriculture projects.
