CPEC 2.0 Ignites $8.5B Pak-China Surge

In a historic step reasserting their iron-clad alliance, Pakistan and China signed a massive $8.5 billion package of Memoranda of Understanding and joint ventures at the recent B2B Investment Conference in Beijing. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, terming it the “long march of economic development,” stressed the revolutionary potential of this surge, from Beijing to Islamabad.

The inauguration of CPEC 2.0 emphasizes anew sectors that may redefine Pakistan’s economic path. Leading the charge is agriculture, which accounts for 60 percent of the economy, and Shehbaz appealed to “Chinese companies” to share experience and investment to increase productivity. He also pointed towards the fast-emerging potential of Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence, along with mineral-rich mining and minerals as areas ready for joint investment.

This renewed vision offers lucrative possibilities for Chinese industries to shift to Pakistan’s Special Economic Zones, riding on a skilled and cost-effective labor force. Overall, CPEC 2.0 is not about infrastructure, it portends a new chapter of enhanced economic synergy between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Chinese counterparts, particularly under the strategic leadership of President Xi Jinping.