Overview
- In a rare public acknowledgment on Nov. 13, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan "dropped the catch" on CPEC’s potential.
- He blamed the Imran Khan–led PTI for scandalising Chinese projects, which he said discouraged investors and stalled momentum.
- Officials note substantive progress largely ended after the seventh Joint Cooperation Committee meeting in 2017 despite 14 total sessions.
- Early infrastructure delivered short-term gains, but the second-phase goals of relocating Chinese industry and activating SEZs have not materialised.
- At the latest JCC, both sides agreed on the need to operationalise SEZs and Pakistan pledged measures to improve the investment climate.