China's new plan opens doors for Pakistan's youth

Pakistan-China Institute (PCI), under its flagship initiative "Friends of Silk Road," organised a conference titled "The Five-Year Plan and China-Pakistan Future: Innovation, Youth Development and Shared Opportunities" in Islamabad today. The event brought together young influencers, journalists, researchers and diplomats to discuss how China's new Five-Year Plan, green development and self-reliance agenda can translate into opportunities for Pakistan's youth and economy.

Speaking on the evolution of China's planning system, Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) Head of China Study Nabila Jaffer explained that China is now preparing its 15th Five-Year Plan.

PCI Executive Director, Mustafa Hyder Sayed, underscored that a key message emerging from the recent plenary session of the Communist Party of China is "self-reliance," which he described as central to "the rejuvenation of Chinese civilisation" after the "hundred years of humiliation." He emphasised that this drive for self-reliance "is a very important opportunity for countries like Pakistan to engage with China, particularly through the Belt and Road Initiative, of which CPEC is a very important part," provided Pakistan ensures a stable security environment to attract relocating Chinese industries.

Mustafa Hyder Sayed highlighted China's leadership in green development at a time when "the world is facing an existential threat to life because of climate change" and when some countries are "withdrawing from international partnerships and the Paris Agreement."