Chinese delegation meets planning minister: ‘Pakistan is seeking to leverage CPEC 2.0 to accelerate industrialisation, boost exports’
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal said that Pakistan is seeking to leverage the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC 2.0) to accelerate industrialisation, boost exports and transform its productive sectors into engines of sustainable economic growth.
The minister made these remarks during consultations with a high-level Chinese delegation led by Sun Dongsheng, Senior Advisor, Economic Affairs Press, at the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives on Tuesday. The meeting focused on advancing business-to-business (B2B) and industrial cooperation under CPEC 2.0.
The two sides held an in-depth exchange of views on strengthening policy coordination, improving implementation mechanisms and expanding practical cooperation.
The minister briefed the Chinese delegation on the government’s national economic transformation agenda, Uraan Pakistan, and called for closer cooperation with Chinese institutions, including counterparts at the National Center of New Manufacturing, to benefit from China’s experience in innovation, automation and robotics in preparation for Industry 4.0 and 5.0.
The minister identified Pakistan’s low export base as one of the country’s major economic challenges, saying that weak export performance had repeatedly constrained the sustainability of economic take-offs.
He said the government’s top priority was to transform Pakistan’s productive sectors into competitive engines of exports.
“China helped Pakistan overcome its energy deficit under CPEC 1.0, and now we hope CPEC 2.0 will help us overcome our export deficit,” he said.
He emphasised the need to facilitate greater access for Pakistani products to the Chinese market, noting that China imports nearly USD 2.6 trillion worth of goods annually, while Pakistan’s exports to China remain around USD 3 billion.
He said CPEC 2.0 was increasingly focused on B2B cooperation and noted that Pakistani and Chinese enterprises had recently entered into regional agreements in the industrial, agricultural and mining sectors.
“We hope that through greater B2B cooperation, CPEC 2.0 will achieve its goals for the modernization of Pakistan’s agriculture and industrial sectors,” he said.
Sun Dongsheng appreciated the warm welcome and reaffirmed the importance of the longstanding China-Pakistan friendship.
He spoke positively of the achievements under the first phase of CPEC and emphasized the need to deepen cooperation in industry and agriculture, strengthen productive capacity, encourage greater participation of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises, and expand enterprise-to-enterprise exchanges and mutually beneficial partnerships.
During the consultations, it was highlighted that CPEC 2.0 represents a shift from infrastructure to industrialization, from connectivity to competitiveness, and from investment to productivity. It also envisages a greater transition from government-to-government cooperation toward deeper business-to-business partnerships.
The Chinese delegation and Pakistani officials discussed the strategic alignment between the five corridors of CPEC 2.0 and Pakistan’s Uraan Pakistan 5Es framework. They stressed the need to translate this alignment into tangible outcomes in enterprise development, technology and innovation, jobs and skills, exports, investment and shared prosperity.
The delegation was also briefed on the progress and key achievements of CPEC Phase I and the priorities of CPEC 2.0. The briefing covered industrial cooperation, agriculture, science and technology, information technology, mining and minerals, Gwadar development and enhanced B2B cooperation.
They expressed readiness to further deepen development synergies, promote mutually beneficial cooperation and work together to advance CPEC 2.0 as an important driver of high-quality economic development, industrial productivity and shared prosperity.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026