On January 12, 2025, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch met in Beijing for the fourth round of diplomatic talks at the vice-foreign ministerial level. The officials affirmed the enduring friendship between China and Pakistan, describing their relationship as that of 'ironclad friends' and 'all-weather strategic cooperative partners.'
During the meeting, both sides co-chaired the fifth session of the CPEC Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination (JWG-ICC). They reached a consensus on the need to 'upgrade' the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a project initiated in 2015 that involves significant Chinese investment in Pakistani infrastructure as part of the broader Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the focus of the upgraded CPEC, referred to as CPEC 2.0, will include industrialization, the establishment of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), clean energy initiatives, and projects aimed at improving local livelihoods.
However, the backdrop of these developments includes ongoing challenges, such as political instability and energy supply issues, which have led to local protests. Recently, hundreds of demonstrators blocked a critical section of the Karakoram Highway, protesting against severe power outages in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, where locals have experienced blackouts lasting over 20 hours amid freezing temperatures.