December 15, 2024: Luo Zhaohui, Director of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), met with Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Planning and Development of Pakistan, in Kunming. Minister Iqbal was in China to attend the 3rd China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Blue Economy Cooperation. The meeting was also attended by Shou Hailong, Director-General of CIDCA’s Department of Regional Affairs I; Li Ming, Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation; Yang Shaocheng, Director of Yunnan Provincial Foreign Affairs Office; Humair, Special Secretary of Pakistan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs; and Minister Aslam  Chaudhry from the Pakistani Embassy in China.

Mr. Luo expressed gratitude to Pakistan for consistently sending high-level delegations to China for three consecutive years to attend the forum. He emphasized the close contact between the two countries’ leaderships and the significant consensus reached. Mr. Luo stated that CIDCA is committed to working with Pakistan to implement these important agreements, actively promote the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), implement the Global Development Initiative (GDI), and deepen China-Pakistan development cooperation, thereby benefiting both nations and their people.

Minister Iqbal thanked China for providing a platform for regional countries to exchange experiences and collaborate, and he commended China’s leadership in advancing the development of the blue economy. He affirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening development cooperation with China in various fields under the frameworks of the BRI and GDI, with the shared goal of building a closer Pakistan-China community with a shared future in the new era.

Following the meeting, Director Mr. Luo Zhaohui and Minister Ahsan Iqbal signed cooperation documents, including those related to the implementation of Pakistan’s Climate Information and Early Warning System Project.