Pakistan and China on Monday launched the China-Pakistan Information Corridor (CPIC) at the Pakistan-China Friendship Centre in Islamabad, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP). The initiative aims to bring together media organisations, think tanks, academic institutions, businesses, and young people from both countries to promote understanding and share information about their partnership. The launch ceremony was attended by Secretary Information Ashfaq Ahmad Khalil, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong, and Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, along with other officials and guests.
Khalil said the two countries are marking 75 years of diplomatic relations this year and that ties have grown from diplomacy to include economic cooperation, technology, education, culture, and media. He said roads, ports, and industrial zones have brought the two economies closer, but that people in both countries also need accurate, timely, and credible information about the benefits of the partnership. The corridor will build on existing agreements between news agencies, broadcasters, and film organisations for news exchange, content sharing, and joint productions. It will operate in four areas: media cooperation, business and enterprise, think tanks, and culture, tourism, and youth. He thanked the Chinese government and the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan for supporting the initiative.
Under media cooperation, the two countries will share news and content and respond to misleading information with facts, according to Khalil. The business component will highlight companies’ achievements and create opportunities for trade and investment, while think tanks will promote research and dialogue on shared issues. Cultural, tourism, and youth exchanges are meant to bring people from the two countries closer. Ambassador Jiang said the corridor had moved from planning to implementation through the efforts of departments in both countries, including those dealing with information and foreign affairs, as well as media organisations and think tanks. He thanked Minister Tarar and others involved, recalled early discussions with the minister on media cooperation, and said sharing personal stories helps people understand one another.
Jiang also said CPEC should deliver practical benefits to the public and that the two countries should share accounts of how joint projects have improved people’s lives. Mao Ning, who said it was her first visit to Pakistan, described the two countries as all-weather strategic partners and said not everyone has access to information about the other country, while misinformation, fake news, and false claims remain challenges, which made the launch timely. She said CPEC had helped stabilise Pakistan’s energy supply, support industrial development, and improve infrastructure, and she cited the creation of more than 236,000 jobs in Pakistan through the project, along with the story of Nida, a 26-year-old woman who became a metro train driver. During the ceremony, a documentary on Pakistan-China relations was screened and dance performances were presented, and the event ended with the unveiling of the CPIC logo. APP’s report does not give a timeline, budget, or list of specific projects for the corridor, so how its four areas will work in practice remains to be announced.
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