GWADAR: A 20-member Chinese delegation comprising entrepreneurs, bankers, public representatives including the Mayor of Handan (Hebei Province) paid a 3-day visit to Gwadar.
The visit was jointly sponsored by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and Habib Bank Limited (HBL), which were working on a concept of development of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Gwadar.
The visit was in line with a series of policy initiatives under China Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC) and bilateral and multilateral understandings between different Chinese and Pakistani public-sector, as well as private sector companies and organizations.
While visiting the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA), the delegation was welcomed by its Chairman Dostain Khan Jamaldini followed by a detailed presentation about the existing and future initiatives for promotion of sea-route economic activities through Gwadar Deep Sea Port vis-a-vis Gwadar Port Master Plan, enabling Gwadar for serving as a shortest route for Central Asia, South Asia and Middle East, especially linking vital silk route with China.
The GPA Chairman called upon the Chinese delegation to make use of the facilities and special incentives including tax exemptions offered by Pakistan and Balochistan’s provincial governments. He said the Sino-Pak relationship was spanning over six decades of time-tested, government-to-government and people-to-people interactions. He said the natural location of Gwadar Deep Sea Port makes it an ideal port for shipping activities due to its easy access and natural depth. He said the port was already being handled by a Chinese company, which testified the commitment of the Chinese government for developing the area, as a major partner with the government of Pakistan.
In his keynote address the head of the delegation the Mayor of Handan (Hebei Province), Gao Heping eulogized the Sino-Pak relationship and said the Gwadar Port could play as a regional hub for inter-state trade activities.
He expressed his satisfaction on the initiatives and the short and long term policies on the part of government of Pakistan and said that the people to people contact will further boost and strengthen the developmental activities in the area.
The delegation also visited Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) and
Gwadar Industrial Estate Development Authority (GEIDA) where the Director General Dr. Sajjad Baloch and Managing Director, Fareed Ahmed, respectively briefed the visiting guests about the development activities in the area and informed that all industrial setups have been planned on the East Bay while residential, recreational and touristic complexes and facilities have been planned on the West Bay in the Gwadar City Master Plan.
Later, the delegation visited Gwadar Port, Gwadar Port Free Zone, state-of-the-art built GPA Civic Centre, the New Gwadar International Airport, the recently completed 2.5 MGD capacity of Desalination Plant (at Karwat) and other development schemes around Gwadar City.
