LAHORE: China is planning replicating the model of Shanghai Free Trade Zone (SFTZ) in Gwadar to interlink the entire region, including Pakistan, Iran, China and Central Asian States.
Highlighting various projects, Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Shah Faisal Afridi has said that China will invest $50 billion till 2017 in a number of projects including coal, solar and wind energy under early harvest programme.
He expressed the hope that the execution of the projects would help generate thousands of employment opportunities.
“The SFTZ is a perfect model to be implemented at Gwadar as it had been a testing model for a number of economic and social reforms in China and had turned out to be engine for growth,” pointed out Afridi.
He said that the ‘one-stop application processing platform’ was introduced at the zone which meant that applicants may obtain all necessary documents for the establishment of a company under one roof.
The Chinese assistance in the development of this port is essential in positively impacting the country’s economy.
