Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar says Pak-China friendship is not ordinary diplomacy, it is a relationship tested by time and strengthened by trust.
Addressing the launching ceremony of Pakistan Digital Economic Centre in Islamabad today, he said the emerging Pakistan-China digital corridor will not only deepen the bilateral ties but also create opportunities for the wider global south.
He said Chinese companies have already contributed significantly to fiber connectivity between Pakistan and China creating a true digital corridor. He said Pakistan and China are moving from roads to networks, from physical infrastructure to digital architecture.
Ishaq Dar termed the launch of Pakistan Digital Economic Centre a significant step towards innovation, digital connectivity and economy of future as the partnership between both the countries enter into a new phase of digital age.
Earlier, addressing the ceremony, Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the government passed the Digital Nation Pakistan Act, last year to transform Pakistan into a digital society, economy and governance model. She said digitization of Pakistan's industry can alone unlock anywhere between five to seven percent of our GDP which means twenty to thirty billion dollars added to the country's economy by 2030.
She said Pakistan has over two hundred million mobile subscribers and 157 million internet users.
On this occasion, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar Khan said the government is undertaking deep structural reforms aimed at transforming Pakistan into an export oriented, industrially competitive and investment friendly economy.
