Seminar Highlights China's Development Model and CPEC 2.0
Pakistan and China should deepen cooperation in education, innovation, emerging technologies and high-quality development under the next phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), speakers at a seminar marking the 105th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said yesterday, describing China’s development experience as an important model for developing countries. The seminar, titled “CPC 105 Years: Achievements, Experiences, and the China-Pakistan Community with a Shared Future,” was jointly organised by the China-Pakistan Study Centre (CPSC) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) in collaboration with China Media Group (CMG).
Visionary Leadership and Long-Term Planning
Welcoming participants, ISSI Board of Governors Chairman Ambassador Khalid Mahmood described the CPC’s 105-year journey as a remarkable example of visionary leadership, long-term strategic planning, institutional resilience and sustained reform. He said China had achieved unprecedented success in economic development, poverty alleviation, technological innovation, modernization and high-quality growth, adding that its development trajectory offered valuable lessons for developing countries, particularly Pakistan. Mahmood noted that the Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership had expanded beyond traditional political and strategic cooperation into new areas, including the digital economy, artificial intelligence, green development, agricultural modernization and human resource development under the evolving framework of CPEC 2.0.
Media Cooperation and People-to-People Exchanges
Representing China Media Group, Wang Lei said the seminar coincided with both the 105th anniversary of the Communist Party of China and the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China. She highlighted China’s socio-economic transformation under the CPC and reaffirmed CMG’s commitment to promoting objective understanding of China’s development experience while strengthening media collaboration and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
Education and Innovation as Pillars of Next Phase
Addressing the gathering as chief guest, Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training Wajiha Qamar described the CPC’s development journey as an extraordinary example of national rejuvenation, visionary leadership and people-centred governance. She said China’s modernization demonstrated the importance of pursuing development in accordance with national conditions while making sustained investments in education, innovation, technology and human capital. Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, the minister said the next phase of bilateral cooperation should place greater emphasis on education, scientific research, skills development, innovation, youth empowerment and stronger collaboration among universities, think tanks and research institutions.
CPEC 2.0 Broadens Cooperation into New Sectors
Delivering the keynote address, former Pakistan ambassador to China Ambassador Masood Khan highlighted the CPC’s central role in China’s economic transformation, technological advancement and historic poverty alleviation campaign. He described the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a transformative framework for international cooperation and reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the flagship project of the initiative. Masood Khan said CPEC 2.0 was broadening bilateral cooperation into industrial development, agriculture, emerging technologies and vocational training, while emphasizing that China’s governance model offered valuable lessons in strategic planning, institutional capacity and long-term policy continuity.
Mutual Trust and Civilizational Ties
Former Pakistan High Commissioner to Australia Ambassador Naela Chohan described China’s rise as one of the most remarkable development stories of the modern era, saying Pakistan-China relations were founded on mutual trust, sovereign equality and deep civilizational ties. She highlighted expanding cooperation in artificial intelligence, the digital economy, education, healthcare, tourism, innovation and youth exchanges, while stressing the need to further strengthen academic, media and people-to-people connectivity.
Pillars of China's Success
Speaking on China’s governance model, Dr Abdul Wahid, Head of Department and Assistant Professor at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), identified long-term strategic planning, continuous reform and sustained investment in human development as the principal pillars of China’s success. He said investments in education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure and industrialization, combined with strong grassroots participation, had significantly enhanced China’s productivity and human capital.
China Reaffirms Commitment to High-Quality CPEC
Guest of Honour and Deputy Head of Mission at the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, Shi Yuanqiang, highlighted China’s achievements in economic development, modernization, poverty alleviation, education and national rejuvenation under the leadership of the CPC. Describing CPEC as the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, he reaffirmed China’s commitment to advancing high-quality CPEC cooperation, implementing the Action Plan for an Even Closer China-Pakistan Community with a Shared Future and expanding collaboration under the Global Development, Global Security, Global Civilization and Global Governance initiatives.
Policy Perspective and Institutional Capacity
Offering a policy perspective, Dr Jibran Hussain Raza, Assistant Professor at the Public Policy Institute, said China’s transformation had been built on decades of strategic planning, institution-building, industrial development and pragmatic reforms. He stressed that Pakistan should continue strengthening its institutional and industrial capacity to fully capitalize on the opportunities emerging under CPEC 2.0.
Historic Role of CPC
Earlier, Dr Talat Shabbir, Director of the China-Pakistan Study Centre at ISSI, said the Communist Party of China had played a historic role in transforming the country into one of the world’s leading economic and technological powers through long-term planning, institutional resilience, continuous reform and people-centred governance. The seminar concluded with an interactive discussion on China’s modernization experience, the governance model of the Communist Party of China and future avenues for expanding Pakistan-China cooperation under the vision of building an even closer China-Pakistan Community with a Shared Future.
