Prime Minister Imran Khan will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang and review the entire range of bilateral relations and discuss new avenues of cooperation between the two countries. “The prime minister will also hold meetings with China’s top companies and business executive during his first official visit to China,” Pakistan Ambassador to China, Masood Khalid told APP on Thursday.
He said the new government was focussing on poverty alleviation, elimination of corruption, agriculture and industrial development and hoped that the two sides would sign a number of agreements and memorandum of understanding to enhance cooperation on these issues. Ambassador Khalid informed that the prime minister would also visit Shanghai and attend the opening ceremony of China International Import Expo (CIIE). He would address as a keynote speaker.
“Pakistan, a country of honour, is setting up its pavilion to display its products and it is hoped that President Xi Jinping will visit our pavilion,” he added.
He said that Pakistan would exhibit its main products and highlight the development process and achievements in science and technology, information technology and other areas besides projecting the government’s priorities.
Ambassador Khalid said that Pakistani companies and entrepreneurs would introduce their market potential and exhibit products at the expo and play an important role to further enhance economic cooperation with Chinese companies and the business community.
Pointing out other factors of the expo beneficial for Pakistan, he said, the business groups and companies from the United States, Europe and other parts of the world would also be participating and exhibiting their products.
The expo would see the participation of more than 2,800 companies from 130 countries and regions, and 160,000 buyers from over 80,000 Chinese and foreign companies.
“Our businessmen and traders will have an opportunity to interact with only their Chinese counterpart but also introduce themselves to the business community of other countries as well,” he added.
In Shanghai, the prime minister will also address the Chinese and Pakistani business community at the Pakistan Trade and Investment Forum and highlight the economic potential and priorities of the new government.
A large number of Chinese companies and businessmen have been invited to attend the forum and they will be offered to take advantage of investment friendly policies of the present government.
A business group comprising 70 businessmen, manufacturers and traders will also come from Pakistan to attend the forum and explore opportunities to further enhance exports to China. On the progress of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said since launching of this framework, cooperation between the two all-weather friends had increased manifold. Under this flagship project, 22 projects were in different phases and few were in pipeline.
Ambassador Khalid said that up to US$ 19 billion of investment was committed by China and added, “When other projects will start, this investment will increase.” He said the projects under the CPEC had so far created 60,000 new jobs for the people in Pakistan. He said the new projects in the agriculture sector will be started to enhance economic development in Pakistan,” he added.
He pointed out that Pakistan had not taken benefit from agriculture which was vital for its economy and added, “Efforts are being made to introduce drip irrigation, mechanized farming and hybrid seeds for upgradation of the agriculture sector.
In the education sector, around 25,000 Pakistani students were studying Chinese language and other subjects in universities of China. “They are the true ambassadors of Pakistan and will play a key role in further cementing Pak-China relations in future,” he added.