ISLAMABAD (GNP): Policy experts have called for aligning China’s Global Development Initiative with Pakistan’s national development agenda through institutional reforms, private sector-led investment, technology transfer, green industrialization and innovative financing mechanisms to achieve sustainable economic growth.
The demands were made at a high level conference, titled: “China’s Global Development Initiative (GDI) and Pakistan’s 5Es Framework: Strategic Synergy for Pakistan’s Economic Transformation”, organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).
Opening the conference, Ambassador Shafqat Kakakhel, Chairman of the SDPI Board of Governors, said Pakistan should move beyond viewing international initiatives as diplomatic opportunities and instead translate them into bankable projects, credible institutions and measurable development outcomes.
He said the convergence of China’s GDI and Pakistan’s 5Es framework, i.e. Exports, E-Pakistan, Environment, Energy, and Equity, offered a timely opportunity to drive structural economic transformation under CPEC 2.0.
He stressed that the next phase of Pakistan-China cooperation should focus on industrial upgrading, export competitiveness, technology transfer, skills development, agricultural modernization, green transition and livelihood creation rather than infrastructure alone.
Kakakhel recommended identifying priority sectors, including industrial parks, renewable energy, grid modernization, electric mobility, agricultural technology, digital public infrastructure, vocational training, climate adaptation and green finance. He also called for a coordinated institutional mechanism to align Chinese cooperation with national and provincial priorities, placing technology transfer and capacity building at the centre of bilateral cooperation, promoting climate-resilient development, expanding digital cooperation, ensuring equitable development and creating a pipeline of environmentally compliant business-to-business investment projects.
Chinese Deputy Chief of Mission Shi Yuanqiang said the Global Development Initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, had become an important platform for promoting inclusive global development and now enjoyed the support of more than 100 countries and international organizations. He said China was ready to deepen the alignment between the GDI and Pakistan’s development priorities, particularly under the 5Es framework. He emphasized expanding Pakistan’s export-oriented industries, encouraging greater Chinese private investment, strengthening cooperation in agriculture, industry and artificial intelligence, and implementing both major CPEC projects and “small and beautiful” livelihood initiatives.
The Chinese envoy highlighted several Chinese investments in Pakistan’s industrial sector, saying they would create thousands of jobs while strengthening industrial cooperation and supporting Pakistan’s export-led growth.
Earlier, SDPI Research Fellow Dr. Khalid Waleed said URAAN Pakistan programme that aims to build a $3 trillion techno-economy by 2047, is aligned to GDI. He proposed four innovative financing instruments, including the China-led mBridge central bank digital currency platform and RMB settlement, Panda Bonds combined with debt-for-climate swaps, carbon markets under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, and the Coal-to-Clean Credit Initiative.
Dr. Waleed stressed that Pakistan’s highest priority should be directing finance towards industrial technology, describing sodium-ion battery manufacturing as a major CPEC 2.0 opportunity that Pakistan should localize instead of merely importing.
He urged policymakers to develop foreign exchange-neutral financing in local currencies, establish smooth regulatory pathways, create a pipeline of bankable projects and strengthen South-South cooperation.
Former Board of Investment chairman Haroon Sharif argued that Pakistan had failed to convert CPEC’s infrastructure investments into private sector-led industrial development. He proposed establishing a dedicated GDI Secretariat in Pakistan, supported by a concessional financing window for structural reforms, technical assistance and industrial innovation. He recommended transferring CPEC management to an independent professional entity with stronger private sector participation, rather than relying solely on government institutions, while also creating a strategic communication organization to improve public awareness. He stressed that GDI required practical implementation mechanisms extending beyond government-to-government cooperation.
Representing the International Institute of Green Finance, Dr. Shen Wei, described GDI as a concrete mechanism enabling developing countries to access development finance and advanced technologies.
He said Pakistan and China should deepen cooperation in green energy, renewable energy localization, grid modernization, solar manufacturing, battery production and off-grid energy solutions. He noted that Pakistan’s growing demand for clean energy technologies made local manufacturing commercially viable while closer cooperation could reduce energy losses, improve grid reliability and create a more transparent energy market.
Former Pakistan ambassador to China Ambassador Moin ul Haque said the success of GDI implementation in Pakistan would depend on sustained political support, institutional continuity and stronger private sector partnerships.
He stressed that future Pakistan-China cooperation should increasingly be driven by business-to-business collaboration, technology partnerships and innovation. Referring to recent Chinese investment in Pakistan’s digital infrastructure, he said the government must provide consistent policy support for technology zones and innovation ecosystems if Pakistan was to realize its ambition of becoming a multi-trillion-dollar technology economy.
Former Commercial Counsellor in China Dr. Arifa Syeda traced the evolution of China-Pakistan cooperation from the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013 to the launch of GDI and the high-quality BRI agenda.
She observed that the five cooperation corridors agreed by Pakistan and China closely matched Pakistan’s 5Es framework, providing a natural roadmap for CPEC Phase-II. While noting that CPEC Phase-I delivered significant gains in transport and energy infrastructure, she said the next phase must bridge the remaining economic impact gap by promoting industrialization, technology, innovation, trade and private sector investment.
Director-General (China) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bilal Mahmood Chaudhary, said Pakistan’s 5Es Framework and China’s 15th Five-Year Plan share common development priorities, creating a strong foundation for deeper bilateral cooperation under the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC 2.0).
He said China’s 15th Five-Year Plan had identified development targets that closely align with both the GDI and Pakistan’s economic transformation agenda under the 5Es Framework. He described the convergence as “strategic and mutually reinforcing.”
The Foreign Office official said business-to-business collaboration between Chinese and Pakistani enterprises had expanded considerably. He added that Pakistan had been organizing B2B events in China, where companies from both countries signed numerous agreements and memoranda of understanding to strengthen commercial ties. Referring to CPEC 2.0, he said the newly introduced Livelihood Corridor would focus on improving public welfare through the construction of hospitals, schools and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.
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