ISLAMABAD: Chinese companies, particularly those in the textile industry, were urged to construct plants in Pakistan on Tuesday by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who emphasized that the government will offer Chinese investors and industrialists all the facilities they could possibly need.
PM Shehbaz stated, “China is an important partner in Pakistan’s economic development,” while presiding over a high-level review meeting aimed at enhancing bilateral collaboration in a number of areas.
Regarding Beijing as a vital economic ally of Islamabad, the prime minister announced plans to strengthen bilateral ties in the fields of energy, agriculture, and information technology (IT) as well as to expand Pakistani exports to China.
The prime minister declared during the meeting, which was also attended by senior officials and Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, that the government is feverishly getting ready for the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
“Gwadar port will be made a logistics hub with Chinese cooperation […] the establishment of Agriculture Demonstration Zones will be an important project in the next phase of CPEC,” he stated.
Emphasizing that China can assist Pakistan in devising a plan to boost its exports, the prime minister also gave orders to pertinent ministries to draft new initiatives to improve Pakistan-China cooperation and take steps to encourage business-to-business connections.
