The Pakistan-China Institute has signed a landmark memorandum of understanding with the BRI International Green Development Coalition to promote Green Development and deepen environmental cooperation between Pakistan and China. The agreement positions the Institute as the first Pakistani organisation to formalise a partnership with the coalition on green and low-carbon initiatives linked to the Belt and Road Initiative.
Under the MoU, both parties will coordinate to advance joint research, co-organise consultation workshops and launch events, and develop high-level policy recommendations on low-carbon energy and sustainable transportation. The collaboration will also support mutual participation in each other’s studies and activities by invitation, strengthening the technical and policy linkages needed for practical Green Development outcomes.
The signing took place in Beijing and was completed by Mustafa Hyder Sayed, Executive Director of the Pakistan-China Institute, and Chen Gang, Secretary General of the BRI International Green Development Coalition. The ceremony was witnessed by Dr Shezra Mansab Ali Kharal, Minister of State for Climate Change of Pakistan, and Zhao Yingmin, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China.
Mustafa Sayed described the timing as significant, coming just before the COP30 summit in Brazil, and said the MoU recognises the Pakistan-China Institute’s role in advancing Green Development in Pakistan, with particular emphasis on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. As CPEC moves into its second phase, the partnership aims to ensure that infrastructure and energy projects follow low-carbon pathways and international green standards.
Practical areas highlighted in the agreement include promoting low-carbon energy options, improving sustainable transport planning, and producing joint policy guidance for Pakistan and other BRI partner countries. Stakeholders in Pakistan’s public and private sectors are expected to benefit from the shared research, workshops and policy work envisaged under the MoU.
The MoU signals a renewed focus on aligning BRI projects with climate and environmental priorities and provides a framework for Pakistan to tap Chinese expertise and coalition resources to mainstream Green Development into major bilateral initiatives such as CPEC.
