Digital age: Pakistan, China agree to develop e-corridor

Move meant to accelerate connectivity keeping CPEC in mind

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China have agreed to develop an e-corridor to establish greater connectivity, keeping in view the importance of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The agreement was reached during a meeting of a high-level Chinese delegation, led by China Investment Promotion Centre Chairman Yan Lijin, with Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunications Anusha Rehman.



The minister apprised the delegation of the potential of Pakistan’s IT and telecom sector and how the ministry was working to reap this potential in an optimal way. “We believe in a ‘Digital Pakistan’ and Chinese cooperation and collaboration will help us to materialise this vision of accelerated digitisation,” she said.

“We are awarding the ‘Tech-city’ project on January 7 next year. It is an incubation project meant for the training of young entrepreneurs. Likewise, we intend also to establish a research and innovation centre of international standard.”

She said the ministry was already collaborating for the development of an ‘e-commerce gateway framework’ so that online commercial ventures could flourish further and consumers and companies could get more confidence in online payment systems. “We would like to invite international companies to establish their setups here in Pakistan as well,” she added.



The delegates appreciated the vision of the government and hailed initiatives being taken by the Ministry of IT for uplifting the sector and agreed to work with the government in establishing IT parks on the ministry’s land in Karachi. 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2015.

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