Islamabad, 2 August 2022 (TDI): The first meeting of the Pakistan and China Joint Working Group in the area of Information Technology was held virtually on Monday. The agreements in the sector of ICT were signed under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative.
China – Pakistan #JWG on IT
“Both Pakistan and China will benefit from this Joint Working Group and the initiatives that will be completed under this relationship.” Mohsin Mushtaq, Additional Secretary (Incharge), #MOITT#PakChinaICT #InvestInPakistan #digitalhubpakistan #5g pic.twitter.com/LjrrBgUZp4
— Ministry of IT & Telecom (@MoitOfficial) August 1, 2022
Additional Secretary (Incharge), Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, Mohsin Mushtaq led the Pakistani side. While, the Vice Minister of Industry and IT of China, Zhang Yongming led the Chinese delegation.
“This new Joint Working Group on IT under CPEC will open exciting opportunities for Pakistani tech companies, and facilitate launching of 5g technology in Pakistan,” Mohsin Mushtaq said.
Furthermore, Aisha Humera Moriani, Additional Secretary MoITT, Ajmal Anwar Awan, Member International Coordination, and other senior officers of the Ministry, also attended the meeting
Both the Pakistani and Chinese delegations discussed the means for promoting cooperation in the sector of Information and Communication Technology.
Pak-China Collaborations
Previously, in 2021, China and Pakistan held the 10th meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC). During the meeting, they signed the Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Joint Working Group on the IT industry.
Since then, the governments of the two countries are working on it enthusiastically.
Information and Communication technology is part of the CPEC framework’s 7th most important sector. This sector aims to promote a number of jobs for people of both states and to attract business investment.
Apart from this, in May 2022, Wang Zihai, President of the Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) announced an online Pakistan-China Technology Gateway will be established soon.
Along with the Technology sector, Pakistan and China also collaborate in other sectors including higher education, industry, agricultural cooperation, etc. The CPEC Joint Working Group (JWG) on Industrial cooperation was also established in 2018.
Chinese and Pakistani officials also signed a framework agreement on Industrial cooperation in 2020 as the CPEC entered its 2nd phase of development.
