China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a win win model and a hope for a prosperous and peaceful region. CPEC early harvest projects, by and large have been completed. Moreover, the CPEC has entered into Phase II that will further galvanize industrialization. CPEC is also closely connected to promotion of education. In this connection the role of academia is very important. To objectively analyze this aspect the City University of Science and Information Technology (CUSIT) Peshawar Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Investment and Trade (KP-BOIT) have jointly organized an online session on “CPEC Phase II and the Role of Academia” on Thursday 28th January 2021 at 12:00 pm. Dr Muhammad Zahid of City University coordinated the event very well. Ambassador ® Masood Khalid was the keynote speaker. Dr Zainul Abiddin (HEC) and Dr Iram Khalid (PSD, Punjab University), Mr Hasan Daud Butt CEO (KPBIT) also included among the guest speakers. Prof Dr Zahid Anwar, Director, China Study Center, University in his speech said that CPEC has strengthened cooperation between China and Pakistan in higher education. A consortium of Universities with headquarters at Fudan University, Shanghai was established in 2017 due to the earnest efforts of HEC and CAHE and a Knowledge Corridor is established due to which now almost 30 thousands Pakistani students are studying in China. He termed the recent HEC initiative, “the SPEC-Collaborative Research Grant (CPEC-CRG)” under “Academic Collaboration under CPEC Consortium of Universities”a great leap forward for solid collaboration between the Universities of the two countries. This initiative will pave the way for high quality research on critical issues which our society is confronting. He said that CPEC has many opportunities of cooperation for Universities, faculty and students of both countries.
