Pak, China to establish ‘Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences’

China and Pakistan are set to establish a joint research center focused on Earth sciences and scientific exchanges, with plans for its inauguration in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, scheduled for October.

This initiative, known as the “China-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences,” aims to create a high-level platform for scientific and technological innovation, facilitating collaboration and talent development between the two nations.

The center’s inception is a collaborative effort involving the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, and support from institutions such as the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment under CAS and Quaid-i-Azam University in Pakistan.

Several CAS-affiliated institutes and Chinese research organizations, as well as Pakistani universities like the University of Peshawar, are also part of this venture.

The primary focus of the center will be joint research across four key domains: natural disaster management and risk assessment, geological structures and tectonic activities, climate change and its environmental impacts, and resource management, environmental sustainability, and green development.

Additionally, the center will play a crucial role in connecting Chinese and Pakistani enterprises and institutions, serving as a catalyst for investment and technology exchanges.

The long-term vision for this initiative includes expanding its scope to neighboring countries, contributing scientific expertise and human resources to support projects like the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.