Pakistan and China Deliberate on Science and Technology Projects Via CPEC

The second meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Science and Technology under the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of the CPEC was held via video link to discuss cooperation in the field of Science and Technology. The meeting was co-chaired by the Federal Secretary for the Ministry of Science and Technology, Humaira Ahmed, and the Director-General of the International Cooperation Department of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, Dai Gang. The JWG meeting expressed that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic partners and that China and Pakistan will work together to deepen cooperation in Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) and provide sci-tech support for the development of CPEC.  Both sides reaffirmed the importance of STI cooperation as a central pillar for the social and economic development of both countries. The Executive Director of the CPEC Authority appreciated the progress of the CPEC projects and expressed hope that the deliberations of today’s meeting will result in the initiation of some projects in the area of Science and Technology. The JWG acknowledged achievements made by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the HEC in jointly building the China-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences at Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad. Furthermore, it commended outcomes achieved by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) through cooperation in STEM education, China-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor, people-to-people exchanges, and cooperation in science and technology. It also appreciated the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) and the Chinese Association of Science and Technology (CAST) on the progress of the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) for mutual recognition of engineers. The JWG decided to support the Special Technology Zone Authority (STZA) in the development of Special Technology Zones across Pakistan and also support other programs related to the development of the knowledge ecosystem, such as training and capacity building of policy-makers on STI, incubation programs, knowledge exchange events, etc.