ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China on Wednesday officially implemented and put into practice a formal, structured system to manage their shared border, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
In an official statement, the foreign office stated that the two neighbors “operationalized the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission”, that would offer a “permanent mechanism” to manage “border surveys, trade flows and people to people connectivity.”
The Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission is a permanent, formal platform established by the two countries to manage and coordinate their shared border affairs.
It functions as an institutional mechanism to ensure stability, handle infrastructure logistics, and oversee the practicalities of the borders between the two countries.
Its primary functions include border management and security such as coordinating patrol logistics, managing border crossings and maintaining security regulations.
It also includes conducting physical inspections and surveys of the boundary line between China and Pakistan periodically.
The commission helps the two neighbors streamline cross-border infrastructure, customs coordination, and civilian movements, particularly through important points such as Khunjerab Pass under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor framework.
The foreign office added that the inaugural meeting of the commission was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad. It was co-led by the China’s Deputy Director General (Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs) of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Li Ya and Pakistan’s Director General (China) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bilal Mahmood Chaudhary.