BEIJING: Forty-five Chinese and 28 Pakistani companies participated in the first Pakistan-China B2B Investment Meeting on Fisheries, held on Tuesday in Qingdao, Shandong province, China.
This event marked the first in a series of sector-specific meetings aimed at fostering joint ventures and partnerships between Pakistani and Chinese firms. It follows Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China in June 2024, which aimed to further enhance trade and investment between the two countries.
Sun Huanjiang, a committee member of the CPC and representative of the Qingdao Municipal Marine Development Bureau, emphasized the historic All-Weather Cooperative Partnership between Pakistan and China.
He expressed China’s commitment to strengthening scientific and technological exchanges, industrial cooperation, trade, and investment, while also supporting Pakistan’s blue economy development.
Secretary of the Board of Investment, Rahim Hayat Qureshi, acknowledged the robust collaboration between the two nations across various sectors. He encouraged increased partnerships among businesses from both countries to promote mutually beneficial cooperation.
Qureshi also presented an overview of Pakistan’s fisheries sector and outlined the incentives provided by the Pakistani government to attract Chinese investors.
The Ambassador highlighted Pakistan’s vast marine resources, urging Chinese companies to leverage the country’s abundant natural resources, low labor costs, and strategic location. He called for the exploration of long-term, mutually beneficial joint ventures and partnerships in aquaculture expansion, food processing, and export opportunities.
The event concluded with the signing of eleven memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and one contract between Pakistani and Chinese companies, amounting to $64 million.
An MoU between the Pakistan Fishery Exports Association and the Seafood Specialized Committee of China was also established to promote further B2B exchanges, joint ventures, and trade in the fisheries sector.
This meeting is part of a series of six planned events designed to facilitate business-to-business interactions and provide platforms for dialogue and partnership, aimed at enhancing trade and investment between Pakistan and China.
