ISLAMABAD: Islamabad and Beijing on Thursday decided to prioritize the conclusion of projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that are associated with Pakistan’s port city of Gwadar, ahead of a Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) session scheduled tentatively for the first week of December in Beijing.
The JCC is CPEC’s lead policymaker. Seven ministerial sessions of the committee have been held since the project’s inception.
The two sides agreed to focus on the new Gwadar international airport, socioeconomic development, a hospital, and professional and technical institutes.
Pakistan has emphasized improvement of its railways, special economic zones and third-country participation, which will be discussed at the eighth JCC meeting.
Sen. Mushahid Hussain, chairman of the Pakistan-China Institute, told Arab News: “The best of CPEC is yet to come. Total outlay as of now is $61 billion, which is the single biggest bilateral project between two countries since World War II.”
He said: “The next phase of CPEC includes agriculture, culture, tourism, information technology, education and youth exchanges.”
Li Xiguang, director of China’s Tsinghua University, told Arab News that if both governments negotiate a mutually beneficial deal on Pakistani agricultural exports, especially cotton and sticky rice, “that would sell very well in China and fetch a high price.”
Li praised soil quality across the four provinces of Pakistan, whose agriculture sector makes up to 20 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) and has attracted Chinese entrepreneurs seeking land for farming since CPEC’s inception.
Hussain said: “You’re looking at job creation, manufacturing, and a better tomorrow for our people.”
CPEC enters next phase of development
CPEC enters next phase of development
- The best of CPEC is yet to come, says Sen. Mushahid Hussain
- The two sides agree to focus on new Gwadar airport, socioeconomic development
About 30 people are feared dead after a migrant boat capsized off Crete
- Authorities have arrested two Sudanese men, ages 25 and 19, as the suspected traffickers
ATHENS, Greece: About 30 people are feared dead after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the Greek island of Crete, Greek authorities and the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday.
The boat, carrying about 50 migrants, capsized 20 nautical miles off the port of Kali Limenes, the southernmost point on Crete, on Saturday. Three men were found dead that day and a woman’s body was found floating at sea on Sunday.
No other survivors or victims have been found since. Passing ships are continuing to search the waters, a coast guard spokesperson told The Associated Press Monday.
The capsized boat had left Tobruk, Libya on Thursday, according to survivors. There were high winds in the area Saturday.
Authorities have arrested two Sudanese men, ages 25 and 19, as the suspected traffickers.
“Just two months into 2026, at least 606 migrants have already been reported dead or missing along the Mediterranean route, according to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project. This marks the deadliest start to a year in the Mediterranean since IOM began recording such data in 2014,” the UN office said in a statement Monday.
“IOM warns that trafficking and smuggling networks continue to exploit migrants along the Central Mediterranean route, profiting from dangerous crossings in unseaworthy boats while exposing people to severe abuse and protection risks,” the statement continues.
“Stronger international cooperation and protection-centered responses are key to tackling these criminal networks and expanding safe and regular pathways to reduce risks and save lives,” it added.
