People to People Exchanges with China under CPEC
People-to-people exchanges are one of China's three main pillars of foreign policy. Trade and Economic Cooperation and Political Trust are the other two. The exchanges foster understanding among people and strengthen the social foundation for healthy international relations. And for that very reason, it is the sine qua non of the Chinese foreign policy framework and has thus been made part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to achieve the intended objectives; however, its full implementation under CPEC has yet to be realized. The people-to-people exchanges program in China is often equated with cultural exchanges and is spearheaded by the Chinese Ministry of Culture as per the Belt & Road Initiative Cultural Development Action Plan which has been formulated in line with the 13 th Five-year plan. However, other ministries and departments are part and parcel of the program depending on the area of interest. The program often emphasizes health, education, science & te...