PM welcomes investment plans of Chinese team

Imran asks them to establish regional offices in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan has assured a delegation of 10 leading Chinese companies expressing willingness to expand their investments and explore more business opportunities in Pakistan of according highest priority to provision of every possible facilitation, and asked them to establish their regional offices in Pakistan.

“Strengthening of business to business ties of the people of the two countries is a foremost priority,” Premier Imran told the Chinese delegation accompanied by Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing and Haier CEO Javed Afridi at the PM House on Monday.

 

Minister for Communications Murad Saeed, Minister for Industries Muhammad Hammad Azhar, Planning Minister Asad Umar, Finance Adviser Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Commerce Adviser Abdur Razaq Dawood, Board of Investment Chairman Atif R Bokhari, CPEC Authority Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa were in attendance.

The Chinese delegation comprised of representatives of Power Construction Corporation of China (Power China), China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), China Gezhouba (Group) Pakistan, China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Company Ltd, China Railway Group Limited, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Machinery Engineering Corporation and China Mobile Pakistan Limited.

The companies are already undertaking business ventures in critical sectors, including energy, communication, agriculture, science and technology, finance and industry.

The prime minister welcomed the Chinese delegation, saying: “Pakistan accords great importance to strengthening its relations with China.”

PM Imran reiterated, “Pakistan and China have a shared destiny.”

The Chinese investors thanked the prime minister for his personal interest in facilitating Chinese investors and the business community in Pakistan.

The Chinese ambassador said, “Various reforms introduced at policy and implementation level have enhanced confidence of the Chinese business community and Pakistan is being looked at as a major partner in development in the post Covid-19 environment."

The participants expressed satisfaction over business-friendly policies of the incumbent government, especially in improving ease of doing business.