Published on, Sept. 16 -- September 16, 2025 10:39 AM

As Pakistan finalises its agenda for the upcoming Joint Cooperation Committee in Beijing, expectations are running far deeper than a list of projects. The ML-1 railway upgrade, the Karakoram Highway Phase-II realignment, and Gwadar's Eastbay Expressway are often dismissed as routine infrastructure schemes. But for a country striving to anchor itself more firmly in the regional economy, they are arteries of connectivity, competitiveness, and credibility. Their timely approval and execution will determine whether the next phase of CPEC can move from promise to performance.

This urgency is reinforced by a broader five-year action plan agreed between Islamabad and Beijing, which seeks, b...