Chinese businessmen keen to invest in mines, minerals

Delegation from Beijing will soon visit K-P economic zones

ISLAMABAD: Chinese businessmen are expressing keen interest in investing in mines, minerals, tourism and pharmaceutical industry of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), revealed K-P Board of Investment Chief Operating Officer Hassan Daud Butt.

After his return from an investor conference in China, Butt told APP that he had talked to numerous Chinese investors on the sidelines of the conference, who were eager to exploit different sectors of Pakistan's economy.

"They expressed the willingness to establish industrial units in Pakistan under the umbrella of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)," he said.

The official added that a Chinese business delegation would soon visit K-P Special Economic Zones (SEZs), which were being developed as part of industrial cooperation under CPEC. "The delegation will also review the potential for investment in various sectors of the economy."

K-P offered huge opportunities of investment in various areas including agriculture, hydel electricity, renewable energy, tourism, mines and minerals and other areas, Butt stated.

He stressed the need for fast-tracking the investment process by utilising natural resources of the province. "This will help boost the economy and create maximum employment opportunities for the youth of the province," he said.

Butt pointed out that the provincial government was directing its focus towards creating maximum employment opportunities.

He added that the government was also working on the ease of doing business to ensure that businessmen coming from China and other countries did not face any difficulty and all barriers were removed.

"CPEC is a flagship project of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), therefore all resources will be utilised to complete the project as soon as possible," he remarked.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2019.

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