Planning minister proposes four-point cooperation plan at Tian Shan Forum
Business
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.
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.
