BEIJING (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan would soon move forward alongside China in the region’s journey of development and economic progress.
Addressing a Pakistan-China Business-to-Business Forum in Hangzhou held to mark 75 years of Pakistan-China friendship, the prime minister said bilateral ties were ‘deeper than the ocean, higher than the Himalayas, and now touching the skies’.
He praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for transforming China into a global economic and military power, describing Hangzhou as a reflection of Xi’s vision and leadership.
Premier said around 30% of the memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed between the two countries had already been converted into agreements worth billions of dollars.
He said Pakistan was focusing on providing IT training and international certifications to its young population, adding that agriculture, information technology, economic zones, and mines and minerals were the four major sectors of cooperation with China.
Shehbaz Sharif stressed the need to swiftly convert MoUs into practical agreements and invited foreign investors to explore Pakistan’s vast mineral reserves and investment opportunities.
‘Pakistan does not need loans; it needs investment and expertise,’ he said, adding that modern seeds, machinery, and advanced farming techniques were essential to increasing agricultural productivity.
PM also announced plans to promote small businesses in rural areas and enhance value addition across industries.
The prime minister further said investors in special economic zones would receive one-window operations and ‘red carpet treatment’, adding that a world-class special economic zone was being developed on 6,000 acres in Karachi.
PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s trip to China presents an opportunity to rebalance Pakistan’s economic partnership with its closest strategic ally at a time when Islamabad is seeking new avenues for export growth, industrial cooperation and durable economic stability