Islamabad: Pakistan and China on Wednesday reinforced their partnership in the mineral sector, signing several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and launching a new digital initiative to strengthen collaboration beyond raw extraction. The announcements were made at the Pak-China Mineral Cooperation Forum, aimed at unlocking the potential of Pakistan’s estimated $8 trillion in mineral resources.
At the daylong forum, the two sides unveiled the ‘Pak-China E-Mining Platform’, a digital tool designed to improve information sharing, project coordination, and cooperation between Pakistani authorities and Chinese enterprises. The platform is expected to enhance transparency, efficiency, and connectivity in the country’s mining sector.
Several MoUs were also signed during the event, including agreements between Wah Nobel(Pvt) Limited and MCCT International, as well as JW Corporation and MCCT International, focusing on digital cross-border industrial trade. Additionally, the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC), POWERCHINA International, and Pak China Investment Company Limited signed an MoU to facilitate investment, technical cooperation, and joint development in Pakistan’s mineral sector.
The forum, organized by the China Chamber of Commerce in Pakistan (CCCPK), brought together more than 800 participants, including representatives from over 70 Chinese companies, 100 Pakistani firms, Pakistani ministers, and diplomatic officials.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s focal person for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), highlighted the importance of China as a strategic partner, saying that the country’s expertise in geological surveying, modern extraction, mineral processing, smelting, refining, and manufacturing would help Pakistan move beyond mere extraction. He emphasized the need to develop mineral-based industrial units, smelters, and processing plants linked with special economic zones and transport corridors.
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