ISLAMABAD, Nov 26 (Gwadar Pro) — Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong on Wednesday reiterated Beijing’s commitment to driving Pakistan’s industrialisation, agricultural modernisation and major connectivity projects under CPEC Phase II, calling these sectors vital for Pakistan’s long-term economic revival.
Addressing senior officials, scholars and students via video at a policy dialogue titled “Redefining Regional Connectivity: Pakistan–China Friendship in the New Geo-Economic Paradigm”*, the ambassador highlighted new areas of expanded cooperation.
Jiang announced backing for two major investments: Haier’s USD 400 million home appliance industrial park with an annual output capacity of 10 million units, and the Challenge Group’s USD 150 million textile park expected to generate USD 400 million in exports each year. He said both ventures will boost export competitiveness, create jobs and promote high-value local manufacturing.
On agriculture, Jiang stressed China’s plans to bring more Pakistani produce under contract farming, enhance market access and strengthen value-chain partnerships to diversify exports and support Pakistan’s foreign exchange stability. Discussing connectivity, he reaffirmed readiness to advance key infrastructure projects, including the Karakoram Highway (Raikot–Thakot) realignment, upgrades to the Khunjerab–Sost border port and further development of Gwadar Port.
Transforming Gwadar into a functional regional logistics hub remains a core CPEC 2.0 goal, he added. Reviewing CPEC Phase I, Jiang said the corridor has drawn USD 25.93 billion in investment, added 8,000 MW to the national grid, built 510 km of motorways and installed 886 km of transmission lines.
He noted that initiatives such as the China-Pakistan Friendship Hospital and a 2,000-ton-per-day desalination plant in Gwadar have improved healthcare and clean water availability. He praised the Lahore Orange Line Metro Train as a modern transport system on par with Beijing, citing its ridership of over 270 million. He also highlighted the creation of 261,000 jobs under CPEC, strengthening public trust in bilateral cooperation.
Pointing to Pakistan’s recent economic uptick—including 3.04% GDP growth and rising per capita income—Jiang said China aims to align CPEC more closely with Pakistan’s development priorities and build a “closer China–Pakistan community with a shared future.”
Future cooperation will expand further into industry, agriculture, mining and green development.The dialogue featured expert discussions on connectivity, cooperation, peace and shifting regional geoeconomics, bringing together policymakers, journalists, academics and practitioners.
