Development work on the Eastbay Expressway will be completed in 2021, announced Zhang Baozhong, Chairman of China Overseas Ports Holding Company Pakistan Pvt Ltd (CoPHCL) at the 5th meeting of the Gwadar Joint Working Group to virtually review the progress of projects in Gwadar. The project will link the port with the 2nd phase of the Free Trade Zone after completion (FTZ). The goal of the project was to satisfy industries by minimizing logistics costs and encouraging trade in transhipments. The meeting was co-chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives (MoPD&SI), Mathar Niaz Rana of Pakistan, and the Director-General of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ying Xiong of China, who expressed satisfaction with the progress made in operationalizing the port. The New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) and the M-8 Motorway, aimed at providing smooth air and road links, were among the projects discussed. The Pak-China Friendship Hospital and the Gwadar Vocational and Technical Institute were built to provide medical services in and around Gwadar. Furthermore, the 1.2 MGD Desalination Plant Project would supply the city with fresh water.