PM Shehbaz guarantees facilitation and security for Chinese investments in Pakistan

During a five day long visit to China, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured comprehensive facilitation and security for Chinese investors, projects, and investments in Pakistan.
Addressing the Pakistan-China Business Forum in Shenzen, the Prime Minister highlighted that mutually beneficial business-to-business cooperation is crucial for a prosperous future for both nations.
He underscored the bilateral trade and investment potential, particularly in key sectors such as technology transfer, industry, IT, agriculture, mining, steel, textiles, and renewable energy.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that he had come to China not to borrow loans but to bring investment to Pakistan, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Addressing the Pak-China Business Forum , the prime minister said that the progress China had made in the last several decades was a role model for the world.

He further said that the world must learn from Chinese experiences. “The country has emerged as the second largest economy in the world and that too in a short span of time,” he said.

He opined it was time that nations forgot their past and strengthened their relations through negotiations. PM Shehbaz also called China Pakistan’s best friend.

The prime minister repeatedly lauded the Chinese model of development and economic transformation and vowed to replicate the same in Pakistan. “I will go back to Pakistan with this resolve, come what may, we will follow this model of great economic transformation in Pakistan. This model is enough to copy and simulate if we are sincere to our purpose and people. By God, I can tell you this is difficult but not impossible,” he told the gathering of hundreds of business leaders from Pakistan and China.

As the Business Forum also marked the B2b matchmaking, he urged the Pakistani businessmen to sit with their Chinese counterparts and find out ways to move Chinese textile industries to Pakistan and make joint collaborations in steel and other industries. “Today is the opportunity, time and moment to capture. Sit down with Chinese friends to have serious discussions. I want to ensure you not as prime minister but as Chief Executive of Pakistan that I will give you the fullest support so that businessmen of Pakistan and China get benefits jointly,” he remarked.

He told the Forum that Pakistan had mineral deposits of around $10 trillion while the country’s exports stood at $30 billion. The minerals deposits offer huge potential to dig out and convert them into finished and semi-finished goods for exports. He assured the Chinese side that his government had already started structural changes in Pakistan to control corruption. Prime Minister Shehbaz drew a comparison between the $500 billion GDP of the 13-million city of Shenzhen and the $380 billion GDP of Pakistan with 250 million population and called it the Chinese city’s swift transformation a “miracle of this century” and the “eighth wonder of the world” necessitating for others to learn the lesson from.

He appreciated Chinese President Xi Jinping’s dynamic and visionary leadership which elevated his country to become the second-largest economy and military power within a short span of time and steered 700 million people out of poverty, despite pressures and challenges. He also recalled that during the decades of 50s or 60s, Pakistan’s economic indicators were better than those of China and called for a collective resolve to regain its stature.

The prime minister also lauded President Xi’s vision of peace and development including the Belt and Road Initiative under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had benefited Pakistan immensely through huge investment. Referring to a terror attack on Chinese workers in Besham in the recent past, the prime minister conveyed his condolence for the “dastardly and heart-wrenching” incident and called it “one of the saddest” days of his life when the whole nation felt saddened.

He said the government had taken various measures to ensure foolproof security to protect the lives of Chinese workers in Pakistan. “I will spare no effort to protect the lives of Chinese workers and assure and guarantee that we will provide them security more than our children. This will never happen again,” he assured.