JWG meeting reviews socio-economic uplift projects under CPEC

 

JWG meeting reviews socio-economic uplift projects under CPEC

The second meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on socio-economic development under the CPEC Framework was held on Wednesday via video link, to discuss and review the projects under the Chinese $ 1 billion grant.

The meeting was co-chaired by Boqing, Vice President of the China International Cooperation and Development Agency (CIDCA), on the Chinese side, and Mathar Niaz Rana, secretary of the Pakistani side of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives. Both parties expressed satisfaction with the progress of projects being carried out under this JWG in key areas of agriculture, education, health, poverty alleviation, and vocational training. The Pakistani side appreciated the assistance provided by the Government of China for the socio-economic improvement of the country and also acknowledged its support during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially medical equipment and supplies. It was highlighted that the socio-economic cooperation between the two countries was according to the vision of the two leaderships.

The meeting reviewed the progress of priority and fast-track projects. The projects including agricultural technology labs, provision of equipment and tools and demonstration stations in the agriculture sector, smart classroom project and scholarship program for foreign students in the education sector, Pakistan vocational schools team and solarization project in Baluchistan, in addition to the potable water supply project for AJK & KP were reviewed with satisfaction. In addition, the Pak-China Friendship Hospital, the Vocational-Technical School, and the desalination plant in Gwadar were also discussed. The implementation of these ongoing projects was reiterated according to the agreed deadlines.

The Pakistani side emphasized accelerating technical education projects, including a cooperation project with Pak-Austria Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology in KP and Punjab Tianjin University of Technology. It was also suggested to prioritize Burn Center projects in all provinces and regions. Furthermore, the Pakistani side also discussed the poverty alleviation research project with the Chinese side and wishes to learn from the Chinese experience in this area.

The Chinese side appreciated the level of readiness and commitment of the Government of Pakistan with the early implementation of the projects and recognized the level of coordination provided by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives.

The planning secretary also suggested holding monthly review meetings to accelerate the implementation of the Framework projects. The implementation in the Covid scenario was also debated.

The meeting concluded with the decision to prepare documents for signature as deliverables of the next 10th JCC. It was also decided to prepare projects for the 3rd phase and the Chinese side was requested to send its experts for the implementation of priority projects. The meeting was attended by senior officials and representatives of federal ministries and provincial governments and representatives of the Chinese Embassy. The two parties agreed that the pace of project implementation will be monitored to meet deadlines.