Chinese furniture makers express interest in joint ventures

Their technology could help in upgrading Pakistan’s furniture sector

ISLAMABAD: Furniture manufacturers of Guangzhou, which is also known as Canton, the most populous city of the province of Guangdong in southern China, have expressed interest in establishing furniture manufacturing units through joint ventures in Pakistan.

Focus is also on establishing Pakistani furniture outlets in Canton to promote furniture trade between the two countries.

Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) Chief Executive Mian Kashif Ashfaq in a statement said a high-level PFC delegation recently participated in the Canton Fair 2018 where they explored opportunities for establishing better liaison between furniture manufacturers to strengthen economic ties.

He said one of the biggest furniture shows held in Canton, where delegations from more than 120 countries participated, indeed became a great opportunity for Pakistani furniture producers to hold comprehensive meetings with foreign delegations including those from South Korea, Australia, the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Canada.

Among all product categories, contemporary furniture drew most of the visitors, he said, adding, “we want to diversify our exports and find new partners for doing business.”

Ashfaq said Pakistan exported $8 to $12 million worth of furniture products annually, but the figure did not reflect the actual potential of the industry and its capacity to produce high-quality furniture. In this regard, he said Chinese technology could help in upgrading the furniture sector of Pakistan.

Pakistan’s business community was not only targeting to increase exports to China, but was also striving to strengthen the partnership that would facilitate growth in trade with major partners such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Austria, Portugal, France and Italy.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2018.

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