ISLAMABAD (APP) - Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday called for renewed commitment to regional connectivity, economic integration and long-term cooperation among China, Central Asia and South Asia, stressing that “great nations and great cultures do not rise in isolation; they flourish through exchange.”
In his televised address at the Tian Shan Forum on Economic Cooperation in Central Asia, being held in Urumqi (China) from December 2-3, the minister said the region, home to 3.9 billion people, was emerging as a major engine of global growth, with unmatched strategic and economic potential. “This is not a peripheral region. This is the heartland of the world’s future.”
Ahsan said the shifting global economic landscape demanded collective action and a development-centered approach. “Economic strength is moving from the Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific,” he observed, adding “Within our own region, China, Central Asia and South Asia are becoming a new pole of global growth.”
He said the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) had revived the ancient spirit of the Silk Road through modern infrastructure, trade and people-to-people linkages.
“More than 150 countries are now part of BRI, almost half a million jobs have been created globally and BRI transport corridors are projected to increase global rail income by 2 to 4 percent,” he noted.
Referring specifically to Pakistan, the minister said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was far more than a set of infrastructure schemes. “For Pakistan, CPEC is not just an infrastructure project – it is a strategic development framework built on trust and long-lasting partnership for mutual and regional prosperity,” he added.