Trade with China: Businessmen seek multiple-visit visas

A special task force being formed at ICCI to form links between government and stakeholders of Chinese organisations.

ISLAMABAD: The government should request China to begin handing out multiple-visit visas of longer durations to Pakistani businessmen, said Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) President Mahfooz Elahi.

In a statement, Elahi asserted that Pakistan’s exports to China should be enhanced through government support to businesses participating in trade exhibitions and exploring the Chinese market.

He stressed that the government should provide support to the chambers in sending business delegations to China, whereas the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (Tdap) and ministry of commerce should devise a focused and integrated strategy in collaboration with the private sector to increase the share of locally manufactured products in the Chinese market. A special task force is being formed at the ICCI for greater linkage between the government and stakeholders of Chinese organisations.

Elahi also believes that Chinese language should be promoted in Pakistan in order to further strengthen business relations between the two countries and suggested including Chinese as a foreign language in the school curriculum.

He added that 2011 has been declared as ‘Pak-China Friendship Year’ and was of the view that the youth of both nations can act as a bridge for further deepening economic relations.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 15^th, 2011.