China-South Asia Poverty Forum Held in Islamabad
The China-South Asia poverty forum in Islamabad has called for stronger regional cooperation, economic connectivity and inclusive development to cut poverty and spread shared prosperity. Senior government officials, diplomats and development experts from China and Pakistan took part in the 2026 China South Asia Forum on Friday, October 30, under the theme “Creating Development Opportunities for Common Prosperity”.
Minister of State for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Chaudhry Armaghan Subhani told the forum that lasting poverty reduction needed investment in education, skills development, employment and social protection. He pointed to the URAAN Pakistan initiative and thanked China for its support to Pakistan’s socio-economic development.
What the China-South Asia poverty forum agreed
Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong called poverty alleviation a shared global responsibility and reaffirmed China’s commitment to development cooperation with Pakistan and other Global South countries. He set out the scale of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as he described it: more than $25.9 billion in direct investment, over 8,000 megawatts of added power generation capacity, and more than 260,000 jobs created.
Jiang said the second phase of CPEC, known as CPEC 2.0, would widen cooperation into agriculture, industry and other productive sectors. He called for stronger agricultural trade to help improve Pakistan’s trade balance with China.
CICG Vice President Yu Tao pointed to China’s own poverty alleviation experience and called for stronger cooperation through joint projects, institutional exchanges and new technologies, including artificial intelligence and smart agriculture. Dr Zafar Uddin Mahmood, the Special Representative of the Prime Minister of Pakistan on China Affairs, said China’s experience offered valuable lessons, provided growth sat alongside governance, institutional reforms, education, healthcare and jobs.
The CPEC figures behind the discussion
The figures Jiang cited frame the forum’s debate about what comes next. CPEC’s first phase centred on power plants, roads and ports. Its second phase turns towards farms, factories and communities.
Subhani said CPEC had already helped improve road infrastructure and electricity supply, while joint social development work was expanding access to healthcare, clean drinking water and modern farming. He said around 15,000 solar lights had been provided to households in Balochistan through development initiatives.
Jiang also set out China’s wider record as he presented it: President Xi Jinping had prioritised improving people’s livelihoods since 2012 through targeted poverty alleviation, followed by a five-year transition period after eliminating absolute poverty. He pointed to the Global Development Initiative, launched in 2021, which he said had mobilised $23 billion for cooperation projects benefiting more than 40 million people.
Two sessions on practice and momentum
After the opening proceedings, two thematic sessions examined the detail, both moderated by Hassan Daud Butt, Executive Director of the Understanding China Forum. The first, “Poverty Reduction Practices and Inclusive Development”, brought together Dr Nadeem Javaid of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Jamshed Kazi of UN Women Pakistan and Liu Yonggang of China Three Gorges South Asia. It focused on social protection, women’s empowerment, jobs and growth reaching vulnerable communities first.
The second, “Development Momentum and Regional Cooperation”, featured Moeed Yusuf of Beaconhouse National University, Wang Huihua of Energy China International Group in Pakistan and development economist Dr Vaqar Ahmed. It looked at regional integration, connectivity, industrial cooperation and sustainable investment through CPEC 2.0 and new technology.
Why this matters for Pakistan
What happens next
Frequently asked questions
What was the China-South Asia poverty forum?
It was the 2026 China South Asia Forum on Poverty Reduction and Development Cooperation, held in Islamabad on Friday, October 30, under the theme “Creating Development Opportunities for Common Prosperity”.
Who organised the forum?
The China International Communications Group (CICG) organised it in collaboration with the Understanding China Forum.
What CPEC figures did the Chinese ambassador cite?
Ambassador Jiang Zaidong said CPEC had attracted more than $25.9 billion in direct investment, added over 8,000 megawatts of power generation capacity and created more than 260,000 jobs.
What is CPEC 2.0?
CPEC 2.0 is the second phase of the corridor, which the forum described as widening cooperation into agriculture, industry and other productive sectors, with a focus on community benefits.
What did Pakistan’s minister of state call for?
Minister of State Chaudhry Armaghan Subhani called for investment in education, skills development, employment and social protection, and pointed to the URAAN Pakistan initiative.
Source: APP via UrduPoint, with additional detail from Pakistan Today.
