Federal Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi met with Jiang Yi, Secretary General of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), in Islamabad. The high-level Chinese delegation included senior representatives from the logistics, transport, and aviation sectors.

Both sides discussed strengthening technical cooperation, expanding freight routes, and exploring investment opportunities in Pakistan’s railway network.

The talks focused on creating smoother cross-border logistics links to support trade and regional integration.

Minister Abbasi briefed the delegation on Pakistan Railways’ modernization drive and invited both foreign and private investments in major infrastructure projects.

He shared that a financing deal had already been signed with the Asian Development Bank for the Karachi-Rohri section, while new collaborations with China are being planned for routes including Rohri-Peshawar, Nokundi-Gwadar, and the ML-2 corridor connecting Attock to Rohri.

He added that the Karachi-Peshawar corridor is now fully operational and plays a vital role in connecting Pakistan to Central Asia.

The minister also emphasized the importance of the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul (ITI) railway corridor, calling it a “game changer” for boosting regional freight and connectivity.

The Chinese delegation appreciated Pakistan’s railway reform plans and expressed willingness to invest under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, particularly in freight and infrastructure development.

Also Read: Elon Musk could leave Tesla if $1 trillion pay package is rejected

Minister Abbasi reaffirmed that Pakistan Railways is ready for BOT-based cooperation, saying future partnerships with Chinese firms would help introduce advanced freight handling systems, digital logistics technology, and higher engineering standards across the network.