LAHORE   -   The Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) Wednesday showed keen interest in strengthening academia-CPEC linkages. Sharing his view at a think-tank session, held here at PCJCCI Secretariat, the joint chamber’s President Moazzam Ghurki highlighted that CPEC not only benefits the economy and bilateral trade between the two countries but it also offers opportunity for Pakistan to adopt and access more policies to strengthen the educational sector of the country. He added that throughout the world, the developing economies are struggling for the better progress and advancement of the education sector for rational economic growth and substantial development. In poverty sicken array, Pakistan and the Ministry of Education (MoE) can reinvigorate policies to meet the educational challenges in the country. PCJCCI Senior Vice President Fang Yulong said that China’s magnificent expansion and progressions in the latest research and development and the invention are remarkable and stunning. Globally in 2008, China surpassed Japan in R&D expenditures, and the scientific research productivity of China is also increasing. Thus, the global rise of China as ‘Asian Dragon’ is the achievement of educational and technological standards of the China education system that is producing competitive manpower according to national and international market demand. Therefore CPEC provides an opportunity for Pakistan to interlink physically with the biggest economy of the world.

Secretary General Salahuddin Hanif said that new programmes for the youth should be initiated as per the demand of the market. He added, “Our chamber provides a platform to sign and promote academic linkages between Pakistan and China.” He hoped that CPEC would create immense employment opportunities in the province.