PM calls for strengthening of Pakistan-China ties in various sectors

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stressed the need to strengthen Pakistan-China friendship in various sectors, including agriculture, mining and minerals, information technology and infrastructure.

He was speaking at a meeting with representatives of foreign companies operating in Pakistan, including a large number of Chinese entrepreneurs.

Terming the Pakistan-China friendship as higher than the Himalayas and touching new heights, he said it is a good sign that so many Chinese investors are visiting Pakistan to find new business ventures in various sectors.

Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan’s economy is largely agriculture-based and it is high time we utilised the full potential of this sector and started new ventures in value-added services.

He added that sixty percent of our population lives in rural areas and earns their living in various fields of agriculture, which require modernization and improvement.

Referring to his recent visit to the China Agriculture and Research Center, the Prime Minister said he was impressed with the size and capabilities of the center.

He informed that the government has decided to send 1,000 Pakistani students for further education in agriculture to learn modern techniques and practices.

The Prime Minister said that our goal is to increase agricultural exports to an additional $7 billion.

He said that China can be our great partner in this endeavor and we believe that we can achieve this goal if both countries cooperate and help each other.

Referring to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Shehbaz Sharif said the second phase of CPEC would start soon and would be based on business-to-business (B2B) agreements in areas like information technology in agriculture and others.

He encouraged representatives of various companies to enter into B2B agreements to fully benefit from this project and become a part of CPEC.