Pakistan and China have strengthened their economic and strategic cooperation, expanding beyond infrastructure projects to focus on production, exports, employment, and sustainable development. Addressing the China-Pakistan Mineral Cooperation Forum, Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal highlighted that the bilateral partnership, now marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, is a model of continuity, trust, and strategic depth. He emphasized that initiatives under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor have already transformed Pakistan’s development landscape through energy projects, road networks, Gwadar Port, and national connectivity.
A significant development emerging from the forum is the launch of the Pak-China E-Mining Platform, a digital initiative designed to improve transparency, efficiency, and collaboration in Pakistan’s mineral sector. The platform aims to facilitate information-sharing and project coordination between Pakistani authorities and Chinese enterprises, potentially unlocking more than $10 billion in investment. This initiative aligns with Pakistan’s national economic transformation strategy, Uraan Pakistan, which targets building a trillion-dollar economy by 2035 through the Five Ways framework encompassing Exports, e-Pakistan and Knowledge Economy, Environment and Climate Change, Energy and Infrastructure, and Equality, Empowerment and Ethics.
Ahsan Iqbal noted that Pakistan’s mineral resources are valued at around $6 trillion, yet current mineral exports stand at just $2 billion per year. He highlighted that by adopting modern technology, enhancing governance, and forging international partnerships, the sector could expand exports to $6-8 billion annually while generating millions of employment opportunities. Iqbal underscored the need to move beyond extraction toward value addition, including processing, smelting, and refining. He cited successful projects like Saindak, Dodar, and Thar as examples of effective collaboration and stressed that mineral development should remain sustainable, environmentally responsible, and regionally inclusive, particularly benefiting provinces like Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The forum also reinforced the protection of Chinese investments and citizens as a priority under Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council. Iqbal invited Chinese enterprises to invest in copper, gold, rare earth minerals, and other strategic resources, linking this cooperation with the broader Uraan Pakistan export strategy. A Memorandum of Understanding signed during recent high-level visits formally connected the Five Ways of Uraan Pakistan with President Xi Jinping’s Five Growth Corridors, creating a framework for synchronized planning, investment, and implementation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Over 70 Chinese companies, more than 100 Pakistani firms, and approximately 800 participants attended the forum, reflecting strong mutual interest. Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong reaffirmed China’s commitment to sustainable mining, capacity-building, and technology transfer while noting that responsible projects like Saindak have trained over 5,200 local employees, setting a precedent for future collaboration.
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