During the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) between Pakistan and China, an agreement on the participation of third parties in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is likely to be signed. The steps were taken in the recent meeting called to review the progress on CPEC projects under the chairmanship of Sami Saeed.
In June last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs banned announcements regarding the involvement of third parties in CPEC projects, saying that both Pakistan and China have already decided to avoid public announcements in this regard. The letter written by the Director General mentioned the involvement of third parties in CPEC, which clarified that the CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee (JWG) has discussed all matters related to the possible involvement of third parties in CPEC. Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination (JWG-ICC) has been mandated.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had made it clear that according to the consensus policy between Pakistan and China in the first and second JWG meetings, the decision regarding the participation of third parties will be made by consensus and mutual consultation. According to sources, 22 September 2023. Briefing the meeting regarding the progress made by JWG on international cooperation and coordination, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that this group was established in the year 2018 with the main objective of facilitating the development and promotion of CPEC. To promote a favorable international environment.
The first meeting of the group was held in April 2019 and three more meetings have been convened since then. The fourth meeting has been scheduled for this year, but China has not yet confirmed the specific date. In the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs further informed that the decision on the procedure of participation of third parties in CPEC and TORs is comprehensive. Conducted through inter-ministerial consultation while the procedure has been submitted to Ministry of Planning for review and feedback.
The Caretaker Planning Minister expressed satisfaction over the progress achieved by the JWG and reiterated the importance of finalizing the procedure for approval of the third phase of the CPEC projects. He directed that they Matters should be dealt with as soon as possible so that it can be signed during the upcoming Belt and Road Forum.
