Annual Conference of the CPEC University Alliance and Opening Ceremony of the First China–Pakistan Higher Education Fair Held in Pakistan

On November 18,2019,  the annual conference of the "China–Pakistan Economic Corridor University Alliance" and the opening ceremony of the first China–Pakistan Higher Education Fair, jointly organized by the China Association of Higher Education and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan, were held in Pakistan. Attendees included Guan Peijun, Vice President of the China Association of Higher Education; Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing; Pakistani Planning Minister Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar; HEC Advisor Asgar; HEC Executive Director Mali; and representatives from more than 50 universities in both countries.

Guan stated that China and Pakistan are good neighbors and good partners. Under the careful cultivation of leaders and people of all walks of life in both countries, the China–Pakistan friendship has borne abundant fruit. In October this year, President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Imran Khan in Beijing and emphasized that China and Pakistan are unique all-weather strategic cooperative partners. No matter how the international and regional situation changes, China–Pakistan friendship will always be unbreakable and China–Pakistan cooperation will always remain vibrant. The Chinese side is willing to work together with Pakistan to strengthen strategic coordination and practical cooperation, and to build a closer China–Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era. In recent years, China–Pakistan exchanges and cooperation in higher education have become increasingly frequent, with more than 28,000 Pakistani students studying in China. In 2017, both sides established the "CPEC University Alliance" mechanism, attracting participation from more than 40 universities in both countries, which has played a constructive role in training high-end talents and serving the corridor's development. We look forward to jointly developing this mechanism into an effective platform for dialogue on higher education exchanges between China and Pakistan, promoting more joint research by universities of both countries, normalizing faculty and student exchanges and academic exchanges, attracting more institutions as members of the University Alliance, and better serving the construction of the CPEC and the "Belt and Road" initiative, making new and greater contributions to building a China–Pakistan community with a shared future.

Yao stated that China–Pakistan all-round practical cooperation is fully advancing. The establishment of the "CPEC University Alliance" and the convening of annual conferences are of great significance for promoting China–Pakistan cooperation and academic exchange in higher education. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the first China–Pakistan Higher Education Fair further demonstrates the high degree of importance both sides attach to deepening mutual understanding in higher education and expanding in-depth cooperation. Currently, the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor has entered a new phase of enrichment and expansion. At the 9th meeting of the CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee held in early November, the two sides reached a series of important consensuses. The CPEC is a platform for China–Pakistan economic cooperation and also a platform for China–Pakistan cultural exchange and cooperation. We look forward to the "CPEC University Alliance" playing a more active role in supporting corridor construction and advancing China–Pakistan people-to-people exchanges.

The Pakistani side stated that the CPEC has opened a new era of mutually beneficial economic cooperation, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people connectivity between the two countries. In 2017, both sides jointly initiated the establishment of the University Alliance, which is an important component of China–Pakistan people-to-people exchanges and the main platform for China–Pakistan higher education cooperation and exchange. Holding the CPEC University Alliance exchange mechanism conference and the China–Pakistan Higher Education Fair is significant in three respects: first, it creates an "academic arm" of the CPEC, providing excellent talents for corridor project construction and management; second, through exchanges in the field of higher education, it further promotes cultural and educational exchange between China and Pakistan, fostering mutual learning between Chinese and Pakistani civilizations; third, given the significant contributions of Chinese higher education to China's rise and socioeconomic development, Pakistani universities look forward to learning from China through the University Alliance platform, enhancing their own strengths, and better serving Pakistan's national construction and economic development.