ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China are planning to launch a joint forum to enhance exchanges and establish communication between businesses of the two countries, thereby opening up new avenues of cooperation.

The proposed Pak-China Businesses and Investment Forum will be launched under the patronage of Board of Investment (BoI), the Chinese Embassy and APCEA. Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong and BoI Chairman Muhammad Azfar Ahsan discussed the modalities of the forum during a meeting in Islamabad on Friday.

The BoI chairman expressed his full support for Chinese investment in Pakistan. “Now is the time to focus on enhancing the ‘Global Outreach of Pakistan’, where the first step would be about fostering communication with the potential and existing investors and the second step would consist of following up with them for ensuring quality investment flows to Pakistan,” he said.

Both sides agreed that for achieving the goal it was essential to conduct business-to-business (B2B) events and establish forums enabling the matchmaking of foreign and local businesses, their facilitation and the showcasing of investment opportunities in Pakistan.

Furthermore, both sides also deliberated on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Industrial Cooperation B2B Investment Conference which the BoI is organising in Lahore in December.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2021