CPEC to benefit future generations, promote cooperation: Pakistani president

The continuous development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will promote bilateral interaction and benefit future generations in the two countries, according to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

The president made the remarks in a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) when asked about his expectations for the "version 2.0" upgrade of the CPEC, which promises a shift in focus from infrastructure to industrial cooperation, agriculture, socio-economic development, and information technology.

The CPEC, launched in 2013 as the flagship of the Belt and Road Initiative, has seen substantial progress over the years and moved from blueprints to power plants and ports. It profoundly transformed Pakistan's economic landscape, reshaping the country's connectivity, energy security and development outlook while deepening its strategic partnership with China.

Gwadar, once a quiet fishing town, has steadily evolved into Pakistan's maritime gateway. The port and its surrounding infrastructure, supported by grant-based Chinese projects, are reshaping the socio-economic landscape of Balochistan.

"We are the closest port to China, so that port, one day, the generations to come, they will thank the Chinese people and Pakistani people [for having thought about building] that port. That port will be the closest link you have to China," said Zardari.

The CPEC's transport infrastructure has connected the country like never before. Eight major projects worth 6.7 billion U.S. dollars have already added 888 kilometers of modern highways and motorways, while another 853 km are under construction.

The Karakoram Highway, also known as the China–Pakistan Friendship Highway, connects northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Pakistan's Punjab Province, joining in a highway network that can ultimately reach the Gwadar Port in the country's southern part.

"We will have more interaction because, like I said, we can drive down to each other's countries. Not many countries could say they can drive down to China. In our case, we can drive down to you, and you can drive down to us. So it [CPEC] is a great, futuristic concept," said the Pakistani president.

CPEC to benefit future generations, promote cooperation: Pakistani president

China has remained the world's largest online retail market for a 13th consecutive year, with its digital consumption exceeding 23.8 trillion yuan (about 3.39 trillion U.S. dollars), official data shows.

The figure was released at a national e-commerce work conference held from Tuesday to Wednesday.

The conference said that China's e-commerce sector has achieved solid gains in high-quality development over the past five years, emerging as a new source of momentum to foster new quality productive forces and playing an important role in advancing the country's new development paradigm.

Despite rising external uncertainties, China has continued to expand its win-win cooperation, increasing the number of Silk Road e-commerce cooperation partner countries to 36.

E-commerce has become a major engine for job creation and industrial upgrading. Employment in the sector has surpassed 78 million, and express delivery volumes have seen an average annual growth of nearly 20 percent over the past five years.

Software and information services linked to cloud computing and big data have also expanded rapidly.

The conference outlined the Ministry of Commerce's e-commerce policy priorities for 2026, including strengthening innovation-driven growth, improving the country's development environment, and expanding international cooperation.

China remains world's largest online retail market for 13th straight year