Dar, Chinese envoy review CPEC progress, stress dialogue for regional peace

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong in Islamabad on Sunday to review progress on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and reaffirm the two countries’ close ties, the Foreign Office said.

Dar welcomed what the statement called the continued progress of the “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership” between Pakistan and China. Cooperation under CPEC, connectivity, trade and investment, agricultural modernisation and people-to-people exchanges all came up in the discussion, according to the Foreign Office spokesperson. Dar also stressed the importance of sustained high-level exchanges in advancing what officials term the “Pakistan-China Community of Shared Future in the New Era”.

Dialogue and diplomacy for regional stability

The two sides also exchanged views on regional developments, reaffirming that dialogue and diplomacy remain essential for sustainable peace and stability in the region. The statement did not name any specific dispute or country in that part of the discussion, keeping the language to the broader regional picture.

The meeting comes as CPEC moves into a second phase that shifts the emphasis from energy and infrastructure towards industrialisation, technology and export-led growth. Earlier this month, a 22-member Chinese business delegation from Xinjiang visited Islamabad to explore investment in agriculture, mining, manufacturing and special economic zones, and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal urged Chinese investors to form joint ventures and help turn Pakistan into a regional production hub.

First phase done, second phase taking shape

Officials said the corridor’s first phase attracted roughly $25 billion in Chinese investment, much of it in power and road projects. The next phase is meant to prioritise private-sector partnerships and technology transfer instead, and Sunday’s meeting fits into that steady drumbeat of high-level contact rather than marking a single breakthrough. Pakistan and China are also marking 75 years of diplomatic relations this year, another reason both sides keep returning to the language of deepening the partnership.

It is worth being precise about what Sunday’s meeting did not do: the Foreign Office statement announced no new project, no financing deal and no timeline. What it recorded was a progress review and a renewed commitment to keep the cooperation moving.