Pakistan-China Convene 2nd Meeting of CPEC Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination

December 30,2020

On December 25, 2020, the Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination (JWG-ICC) under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) held the second meeting in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The meeting was co-chaired by the Foreign Secretary Mr. Sohail Mahmood and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Mr. Luo Zhaohui.

Both sides reviewed the progress achieved since the inaugural meeting of JWG-ICC on 9 April, 2019. It was agreed that the two countries’ close cooperation and mutual support amid the COVID-19 outbreak has laid the foundation for economic recovery in the post-pandemic era and injected new momentum into the construction of CPEC. The two sides reiterated that they will implement the consensus of the two leaders and promote CPEC to focus more upon industry, agriculture, science and technology, and people’s livelihood, especially in less developed areas, so as to make CPEC a high-quality demonstration project of the Belt and Road. The two sides reaffirmed that the CPEC is an open and inclusive initiative, and third parties were welcomed to participate in its development on the basis of consensus.

The two sides agreed to continue to publicize the positive role of the CPEC in improving local livelihoods and to clarify inaccurate reports about the CPEC in a timely manner. They encouraged the media to strengthen cooperation on CPEC, and welcomed think tanks, experts and scholars to conduct bilateral and multilateral exchanges on CPEC to jointly promote CPEC’s role in high-quality development of the Belt and Road.

The two sides signed the minutes of the meeting, reflecting the consensus reached at the meeting.