LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday congratulated the nation, President of China Xi Jingping, Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff General Rahil Sharif and Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong for operationalisation of Gwadar Port and opening of trade activities at under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
“The departure of the trade fleet convoy at Gwadar Port is by no means the end of the journey, but a new beginning of an epoch and Pakistani government should cash this opportunity to the maximum,” LCCI President Abdul Basit, Senior Vice President Amjad Ali Jawa, Vice President Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan and Executive Committee Members said in a statement here Monday.
“The LCCI also felicitates the entire nation for this great success that is bound to make Pakistan a developed country,” they said.
The LCCI office-bearers said that business community is very excited at this moment as the dream of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has come true and the country has taken a giant leap towards economic stability. They said that Pakistani nation is gratified to China for taking keen interest in economic development of Pakistan and safeguarding its interests.
“This is the first time that Pakistan and China have jointly handled a trade fleet and also the first time that a large number of trading goods have been exported through Gwadar Port”, the LCCI office-bearers said. They said that joint and cordial efforts of Pakistani and Chinese governments and Pakistan armed forces have attributed to the success of this mega project that is delivering benefits to all the people of Pakistan as well as the region.
They said that Pakistan is one of the luckiest countries of the world as it is blessed with a good neighbor like China. They said that Pakistan and China are good friends and best partners. They said that China-Pakistan friendship is a valuable asset of the two countries and the two peoples. In the new period, the two peoples need to enhance cooperation, strengthen mutual support and assistance, work together to realize our dreams and uplift China-Pakistan strategic cooperative partnership to a higher level.
The LCCI office-bearers said that there is a dire need to avail the full advantage of the potential and friendly policies of the Chinese government towards the Pakistan. They said that though bilateral trade between the two countries is growing but it is nowhere near to the potential that exists between the two countries. They said that mutual trade between Pakistan and China could easily touch the figure of $15 billion within a couple of years.
They said that the Chinese importers may have better prospects for Pakistani goods particularly of Carpets, Leather and leather products, Surgical Equipment, Sports goods, Fruits and vegetables, Rice, Pharmaceuticals, Cotton etc. Most of our industrial units in these areas are ISO certified and are producing best quality products at competitive rates as compared with other countries in the region.
Joint ventures can be initiated in sectors like construction, hotels and tourism; SMEs cluster development, computer and cellular chips, textiles, garments, home appliances, corporate farming, seafood and food processing, banks & finance, light engineering etc. Two most important areas where Pakistan needs urgent assistance are Energy and Agriculture.
They said that Pakistan is an agrarian society with tremendous potential in agricultural sector. China has expertise both in agriculture and agro-based industry and if some Joint Ventures are carried out, it would be mutually beneficial for both countries. The increase in agricultural production would not only help in meeting our local demands but also enable us to export surplus quantity to China. Besides this, the Aqua- farming and Seafood Processing could be the other potential areas for Joint Ventures in which both of our countries could make wonders.
