ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has turned into a favourite destination for Chinese people for doing their business and making investment in the projects, being executed under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) or ‘One belt one road’.
Eventually, it enhanced ‘People-to-people’ contacts between the two countries, said here a senior official. There has been considerable increase in number of Chinese people travelled to Pakistan in the recent year. Mainly, they are engaged in the CPEC-related projects. According to a survey, there has been around 100 percent increase in the travelling index on both sides last year.
The rapid upward trend of travelling of Chinese workers and businessmen to Pakistan began following the recent visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pakistan which led the Sino-Pak economic partnership to a new height. Around 20 agreements and MoU were signed during visit that paved the way of rapid upward trend of people-to-people contacts between the two countries.
CPEC involved many Chinese companies doing business in Pakistan, and on other hand Chinese government provided some additional opportunities to Pakistani youth to visit China for education. According to an estimate, there was a big raise in scholarships’ ratio provided to Pakistani students during the last two years. In the wake of new development, Cultural and social changes were also on the rise.
Pakistani entrepreneurs were also be encouraged to set up their business Houses in China, which has emerged as World largest economic hub. Chinese visa’s policy was relaxed for this purpose.
The survey based on interviews with a cross-section of Chinese and Pakistani notables indicated still better future prospects of connectivity at the peoples’ level. “We are highly motivated by our top-leadership establishing business linkages with the Pakistani counterparts,” said Li Fung,Chief Marketing officer of a Chinese company.
Another Chinese businessman Tan She said the massive travelling of Chinese people is because of improved security situation and better investment opportunities in Pakistan in the recent years adding that now we feel more safe and comfortable in our brotherly country.
A travel agent, Ma Hailian said that their business has jumped to a remarkable level as a result of frequent travelling between the two countries both at official and private level.
While a crew member of Air China, Fu Hu, said that recently there have been huge number of Chinese passengers travelling to Pakistan almost daily.
Muhammad Zakaullah, an official of Pakistan International Airlines, said that after the signing of CPEC, flights on the way to Pakistan were overwhelmingly booked by Chinese citizens.
Muhammad Yaseen, a well-known Pakistani businessmen settled in Beijing for the last thirty years said that the growing inclination of Chinese people to visit Pakistan is something unbelievable adding that Chinese companies, mostly in Western China, are now even considering to shift their factories to Pakistan to take advantage of free trade zone, to be established under CPEC.
Another Pakistani businessman, Muhammad Khalid, who is doing restaurant business in China for the last twenty years, said that most of his Chinese friends eager to set up their businesses in Pakistan. Banks here also provides financial support to Chinese Companies in term soft loan to invest in Pakistan, under a policy-guideline provided by the top-leadership.
With the launching of CPEC-based projects, Pakistan has becomes one of the most favourite business destinations for China and Central Asian States. Both Pakistani and Chinese leadership believes that CPEC would help Pakistan to strengthen its economy and it would be a fate-changer for improving the living conditions of the people.
Meanwhile, a Chinese journalist working with China Radio International in Beijing said the media reports are highly encouraging for the Chinese people to do business and investment in Pakistan for a win-win situation.
CPEC has also opened huge employment opportunities. According to incomplete statistics, the CPEC projects under construction have employed more than 6,000 Pakistani workers by the end of March, not mention the employment indirectly created and driven by the projects, said a Pakistani official.
