Digital Connectivity to Take Pakistan-China Ties to New Heights: Tarar

Islamabad: (Mudassar Iqbal)-Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has said the China-Pakistan Information Corridor will strengthen bilateral relations by promoting media cooperation, information exchange, digital connectivity, trade, cultural understanding and people-to-people contacts between the two countries.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the China-Pakistan Information Corridor, Tarar said it was an honour to be part of the initiative, which he described as an important step towards strengthening the longstanding friendship between Pakistan and China and passing its legacy on to future generations.

He said Pakistan and China shared not only mountains, rivers, cultures and traditions but also a common history of friendship. From the Khunjerab Pass to Gwadar and Karachi, the story of bilateral cooperation reflected decades of goodwill and mutual trust.

The minister said the two countries had a responsibility to preserve this legacy and introduce younger generations to the importance of their relationship.

Referring to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Tarar said Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Pakistan in 2015 gave a new impetus to bilateral relations and advanced the landmark economic cooperation initiative.

He described CPEC as a flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, saying it had translated decades of goodwill into tangible progress in energy, infrastructure and connectivity.

“CPEC has illuminated homes that were previously in darkness, built motorways across provinces and opened a gateway to global connectivity through Gwadar,” he said.

Tarar highlighted the importance of the fibre-optic cable laid through the Khunjerab Pass, saying it had established a direct digital link between Pakistan and China. He added that while the first phase of CPEC connected the two countries physically, the next phase would bring their people closer through knowledge, information and digital cooperation.

Under CPEC 2.0, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Xi Jinping have outlined a new phase of cooperation focused on growth, employment, innovation, green development and openness, he said.

The minister said the China-Pakistan Information Corridor would serve as a bridge between the minds of the two nations, complementing CPEC’s role in connecting their economies.

He explained that the initiative was built around four pillars: media cooperation, trade, think tanks, and culture, tourism and youth engagement. He said work under all four pillars had begun.

The media pillar includes a News Exchange Working Group comprising 18 media organisations from Pakistan and China. The group brings together public broadcasters, private television channels and prominent Chinese media organisations, including Xinhua, China Media Group and People’s Daily.

Tarar said the participating organisations would share verified news and strengthen cooperation in reporting on bilateral affairs. The initiative also includes a fact-checking mechanism to identify misleading narratives and respond to them with credible information and evidence.

Regarding the trade pillar, he said the first regional office had been established in Karachi. A dedicated trade portal was also being developed to document trade, investment and foreign direct investment between the two countries.

The portal would also highlight the experiences of Chinese businesspeople operating in Pakistan and Pakistani entrepreneurs working in China through a podcast series, he added.

The think-tank pillar would promote joint dialogue, research and publications, providing greater depth and an evidence-based approach to discussions on Pakistan-China relations.

The fourth pillar focuses on culture, tourism and youth engagement. Tarar said work was underway on a proposed tourism corridor between Xinjiang and Gilgit-Baltistan to improve Chinese tourists’ access to Pakistan’s northern areas.

A friendship rally would also be organised as part of activities marking the anniversary of Pakistan-China friendship, he said.

The minister added that young people from 13 universities across Pakistan had been nominated for the first group of youth ambassadors. The participating institutions represent different parts of the country, from Gilgit to Quetta and Peshawar to Karachi, as well as Muzaffarabad and Lahore.

Emphasising the importance of a shared global future, Tarar said Pakistan-China friendship demonstrated how two nations with different languages, religions and histories could build a common destiny through mutual respect and cooperation.

He said President Xi Jinping had presented the vision of a community with a shared future for humanity, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had outlined practical ways to advance that vision through cooperation and development.

Tarar also highlighted the role of digital technology in Pakistan’s economic and social development, particularly for its young population.

More than 68 per cent of Pakistan’s population is under the age of 30, he said, adding that digital skills and technological access could create new opportunities for young people in the global economy.

“A laptop in the hands of a young person is a passport, and a smartphone is a marketplace,” he said, stressing the importance of equipping Pakistani youth with the skills needed to benefit from the digital economy.

He said Pakistan was working to strengthen its position in the global digital economy, while China’s progress in 5G, artificial intelligence, e-commerce and smart cities offered significant opportunities for bilateral collaboration.

Tarar also referred to a proposed memorandum of understanding with Alibaba Group, saying Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had advocated opportunities for Pakistani information technology students to learn about emerging technological trends through scholarships.

According to the minister, the draft memorandum was prepared with the assistance of artificial intelligence at the prime minister’s insistence and signed within 20 minutes during the visit. He said work on implementing the agreement was continuing.

He emphasised that Pakistan’s digital transformation was particularly important for its younger generation and that the country needed to develop the capacity to communicate its own story in the digital age.

“Connectivity is power, and narrative sovereignty is essential in the digital era,” Tarar said, adding that nations unable to tell their own stories risk having others tell them on their behalf.

He said the China-Pakistan Information Corridor would use news exchanges, fact-checking, trade portals, podcasts, social media platforms and youth ambassadors to strengthen a longstanding and trusted partnership.

Inviting Chinese media organisations, think tanks, universities, businesses and youth ambassadors to participate in all four pillars of the initiative, Tarar said the new corridor would complement the physical connectivity established through the Karakoram Highway.

He recalled that Pakistanis and Chinese had worked together to build the highway, with many people sacrificing their lives in the process.

“Today, we are building a different kind of highway, one made of truth rather than rocks and carried forward by voices rather than trucks,” he said.

Tarar expressed confidence that, like the Karakoram Highway, the China-Pakistan Information Corridor would endure and help take the story of Pakistan-China friendship to households and communities across both countries.

He concluded that the friendship between Pakistan and China was living evidence that a shared future for humanity could be built through collective efforts, mutual understanding and lasting cooperation.Meta Description: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar says the China-Pakistan Information Corridor will strengthen media cooperation, trade, digital connectivity, tourism and youth engagement under four pillars.

 

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