ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China have launched the China-Pakistan Information Corridor (CPIC), a four-pillar initiative aimed at strengthening media cooperation, countering misinformation, promoting bilateral trade and investment, and expanding digital connectivity and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the China-Pakistan Information Corridor, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said all four pillars of the initiative had already become operational, marking a new phase in bilateral cooperation beyond the traditional infrastructure and energy projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
He said an 18-member News Exchange Working Group comprising Pakistani and Chinese media organisations had been established to facilitate the exchange of verified information and strengthen cooperation between public and private media outlets.
The participating organisations include China’s Xinhua News Agency, China Media Group (CMG), People’s Daily and Pakistani broadcasting and media institutions.
The minister said the corridor also incorporates a fact-checking mechanism to identify misleading narratives and counter disinformation through verified facts, underscoring the growing importance of information security and narrative sovereignty in the digital age.
Highlighting the initiative’s economic dimension, Tarar announced that the first regional office of the corridor’s trade pillar had been established in Karachi, while a dedicated trade portal was being developed to document bilateral trade, investment and foreign direct investment flows.
He said the platform would also highlight the experiences of Chinese entrepreneurs operating in Pakistan and Pakistani businesses working in China through a series of podcasts, providing greater visibility to bilateral commercial opportunities.
The minister said the third pillar would bring together think tanks from both countries to promote joint research, policy dialogue and publications, while the fourth would focus on cultural exchanges, tourism and youth engagement.
He announced that work was underway on a tourism corridor connecting China’s Xinjiang region with Gilgit-Baltistan, which would expand access for Chinese tourists to Pakistan’s northern areas.
Under the youth engagement initiative, students from 13 universities across Pakistan, including institutions in Gilgit, Quetta, Peshawar, Karachi, Muzaffarabad and Lahore, had been nominated for the first group of youth ambassadors. Tarar said a friendship rally would also be organised to commemorate the anniversary of Pakistan-China friendship.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026