The 10th meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been postponed.

In a statement, Chairman CPEC Authority Lieutenant General (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa said that the JCC meeting has been adjourned till after Eid-ul-Azha.

The postponement comes after a bus carrying Pakistan and Chinese workers to the site of the project at Dasu met with an accident on Tuesday, with reports suggesting that a blast occurred, causing the vehicle to plunge into a ravine, claiming the lives of 13 people including nine Chinese.

The JCC meeting, which is normally held once a year, was scheduled to be held on July 16 (Friday). However, Bajwa said that the meeting will now be held after Eid, and informed that a new date will be announced after it is finalised. Meanwhile, preparations for the meeting will continue.

10th CPEC JCC meeting on 16th: Asim

The 9th meeting was held in 2019 but the 10th meeting could not be scheduled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The JCC is the highest decision-making forum on CPEC which reviews progress on the multi-billion-dollar megaproject, and decides future course of action.

The provision of security to Chinese nationals and CPEC assets was also included in the agenda of the 10th JCC meeting.

Earlier, in a conversation with the media, Bajwa said that the economic corridor is a top priority and work on phase-II of the project is underway.

The CPEC Authority chairman reiterated that pace of work on the corridor had not slowed down neither the trust of Chinese investors had diminished. Bajwa further said he was personally monitoring every project and was also keeping an eye on operational issues.