China Study Centre, University of Peshawar in Collaboration with Embassy of the People Republic of China, Higher Education Commission Pakistan, Higher Education Department KP, Bacha Khan University Charsadda, FATA University, Khyber Medical University, Qurtaba University of Science and Information Technology, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University Peshawar, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar and Islamia College University Peshawar is organizing an International Conference on, “CPEC: Collaboration in Higher Education and Sustainable Development” on 19th to 21st February 2019 at the University of Peshawar.

Introduction

The 21^st century highlights a speedy expansion and explosion of knowledge leading to technological breakthroughs which have transformed the way people live, work and relate to one another and the range, gauge, and perplexity of this transformation is unparalleled. The world’s Economic Architecture based on capitalistic perceptions, neoliberalism and free-market economy is indorsing a go-slow since the global economic crunch. Trade and investment is declining and cited reasons are rather structural than cyclical. Monetarist and macro-economic approaches are proving less effective and certain unconventional measures for economic growth and stimulation are high on the debate. Economic policy debates centre around industrial and services sector promotion for fostering employment opportunities through infrastructural development on enormous scale, along with trade development and economic integration through people’s connectivity across borders.

China is the fastest growing economy globally and investment in physical infrastructure is the most imperative factor in her economic development, besides labour stock and private and public investments. China’s experience has a lesson for the developing world to improve physical infrastructure and human capital for economic growth & sustainable development. The pivot of economic power is shifting from the West towards the developing countries in the East due to the implementation of futuristic outlook by China in the form of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

China’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI), launched in 2013, denotes the New Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The Economic Belt will connect China to Europe along West Asia and Central Asia, while the Maritime Silk Road will link her to Southeast & South Asia, Africa and Europe. The strategy responds to the well-placed economic policy of linkages and growth-foster through investment in physical infrastructure. BRI is surfaced as a “strategic relationship” among countries and regions for strengthening trade and investment and, therefore lends new imperativeness to the development trajectories of Asia, Europe and beyond. BRI is expected to potentially benefit the implying countries through intensified regional supply chains for sustainable development. Expectation imparts the project will ease importing inputs and will favour participation in value chains through lowering tariff and non-tariff barriers to cross border trade. Since developing countries are badly in need of institutionalized policies for fostering entrepreneurial development and promotion of innovative productivity and sustainable development, BRI is expected to shift economic policy debate from macroeconomic and cyclical policies to structural policies.

CPEC is one of the 6th economic corridors of BRI and China and Pakistan are giving much more importance to CPEC by declaring it flagship project of BRI. Gwadar deep sea port which is part and parcel of CPEC provides easy access to sea to the Central Asian States including Afghanistan and its location at the exit of the Persian Gulf further increases the likelihood of its becoming a major hub of economic activity in the near future. BRI is an ambitious plan, so is CPEC as its part, and certainly will have to face many challenges, but it has enormous potential and the opportunities related to the project are much more deep-seated and optimistically will give prosperity to the connecting region in a much resilient way. Stronger policy proponents may not only cope with the challenges in the way ahead but may also turn challenges into opportunities for multilateral cooperation among the nations economically connected under the umbrella of BRI.

Potentiality and vitality of these policy proponents is maximized by the fact that majority of the nations in the way of BRI are developing countries with potential scarcities of resources in terms of infrastructure, economic growth, industry, and technology. Conceptual framework for analysis of the vision and motivations in terms of challenges to CPEC and the opportunities lying ahead to reap multifaceted benefits from the project are need of the hour. Academia is at the tip of expectations to analyse formulations, contextualize recommendations, and engage all the stakeholders for developing of the required conceptual framework, as well as the policy guidelines, as a course of action for institutions engaged in coordination and connectivity.

Institutions of Higher Education, the “Creative Industry” for adoptive learning, innovation and enhancing research for the well-being of humanity, are meant for production of new knowledge, updating existing understanding, disseminating information, and preserving data for the coming generation. Formulating policy proponents on multi-dimensional issues need extensive evaluation by experts in diverse fields in Universities and institutions of higher learning, which have a two-way effect; it not only results into ultimate progress of the society but also creates collaboration for the institutes itself. CPEC is also a conglomeration of many important projects and needs to be objectively analyzed for roadmap charting from multiple angles under different contexts by all the stakeholders.

For this purpose, China Study Centre (CSC) University of Peshawar, in collaboration with other institutions of higher education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is organizing an international conference on, “CPEC: COLLABORATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT”, to be held at China Study Centre, University of Peshawar from the 19th to 21st February 2019.

The conference will engage academicians, scholars, government officials, practitioners, diplomats, journalists and development specialists from all over the world, especially Pakistan and China, in a constructive interaction with the participants to generate critical thinking over policy formulations and coordinative integration across borders. Vice Chancellors and academicians of various public & Private sector universities of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province will be invited to participate in the conference. The Federal and Provincial level senior leadership will also be invited to grace the event. The Embassy of China in Pakistan, China Association of Higher Education, high ranking Chinese Universities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan, Ministry of Planning and Development Pakistan, Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, Parliamentary Committee on CPEC Pakistan, Chief Minister’s CPEC Cell Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan, Higher Education Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan, etc. will be invited to help in understanding the CPEC, the jewel of Pakistan and China friendship.

Development Specialists from Pakistan, China and the developed world will analyse the project’s trajectories objectively to help in reaping the opportunities and addressing the challenges in an efficient manner. Keynote Speakers and presenters at the conference will engross the participants in a constructive interaction of learning and contributing to the understanding of CPEC and its implications for Pakistan and the region at large. The conference will provide opportunities for discussion, exchange of ideas and developing realistic perspectives on different aspects of CPEC. The approach of the conference will be interactive and participants will not only learn from the speakers but also from one another by sharing their ideas. Students from various faculties like Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Numerical Sciences, Arts and Humanities, life and Environmental Sciences, Islamic and Oriental Studies, Management and Information Sciences will be encouraged to participate in the conference learn and then disseminate the valuable information on CPEC and its significance. Without an iota of doubt the International conference will help in developing a better understanding on CPEC and the perceived sustainable development in its wake.

OBJECTIVES:

 The objectives of the conference are:

1.  To explore collaboration in higher education between Universities of Pakistan particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and China.
2. To discuss the avenues of strengthening joint research projects, faculty exchanges, and students` mobility.
   Understanding the Chinese  double first class initiative in the realm of higher education
3. To learn and disseminate the achievements and successful experiments of HEC (Higher Education Commission of Pakistan) and CAHE (China Association of Higher Education).
4. To assess prognosis of growth and sustainable development through connectivity and economic cooperation under BRI/CPEC.
5. To examine opportunities and challenges to CPEC and to weigh CPEC’s five key areas: policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bonds.
6. To evaluate the prospects of integration of regional countries into the global value chains under BRI/CPEC and thereby enhancing trade and investment.
7. To scientifically analyse the socio-cultural, geo-economic, politico-strategic, biological and environmental impacts of CPEC on Pakistan and the region.

Conference Theme:

The conference will be divided into different themes and there will be parallel sessions and each session will be focussed on distinct sub-theme dealing with various aspects of the main topic.

1. Bilateral Collaboration in Higher Education and Sustaining Intellectual Capacitation
2. Capacitating the Youth: Challenges and Opportunities
3. Enabling potential: Developing Capacity for Professional Opportunities in CPEC
4. Security and Dividends in Natural Resource Exploitation & Infrastructure Development
5. Securing Futures: Opportunities and Challenges in Employment with the CPEC
6. Mineral Exploration in KP: Safeguards and Maximizing Return
7. Technological Roadblocks: Developing Domestic Capacity for Mineral Extraction and Processing
8. Prospects for Human Resource Development in Metallurgy Research
9. Strengthening Agricultural Capacity
10. Avenues for increasing Agricultural Exports to China and the Broader Region
11. Increasing Domestic Yield: Potential for Collaboration in Technology Transfer
12. Facilitating Product Export: Developing Post-Harvest Infrastructure
13. Developing the Tourism Industry: Opportunities and Challenges
14. Bio-diversity and Ecotourism
15. Ancient Architecture: Avenues for Collaboration in Heritage Conservation
16. Securing Nature: Pre-empting Ecological Costs and Preserving the Environment
17. Environmental and health challenges
18. KP, AJK, GB and CPEC: Challenges and Prospects
19. Human Resource Potential and Strengths
20. CPEC: Peace, security and higher education
21. Resources to Benefit Local Populations
22. Social sustainability in CPEC
23. Water resource development
24. Equitable inclusive and balanced development growth
25. SEZs and Urban development
26. Building new cities under CPEC
27. People to people contact for joint venture, entrepreneurs and businesses
28. CPEC: Institutional development and reforms
29. CPEC: Intellectual Property
30. Export promotion and Import substitution
31. CPEC: Connectivity and regional integration

Impact:

The impact of the mega event i.e., International conference on CPEC with focus on higher education and sustainable development will be both short-term and long-term.

Firstly, about two hundred participants—students, scholars, faculty, diplomats, journalists, businessmen and practitioners will attend the different sessions of the conference. The exposure of the participants will broaden their understanding of CPEC which is considered a regional game changer project. Directly and indirectly it will benefit policy makers and general public through the dissemination of information by media coverage and publication of the conference proceedings.

Secondly, this conference will create opportunities for collaboration in higher education among institutes of Pakistan and China. There are more than two thousands Universities and Degree Awarding Institutes in China with about six million students’ induction annually. These institutions offer various scholarships and faculty exchange programs. This conference will provide opportunities to Institutes of Higher Education in Pakistan to strengthen educational cooperation which will benefit our youth and polish their talents.