Chinese e-commerce companies help young Pakistani entrepreneurs

BEIJING – Chinese e-commerce companies are helping Pakistani young entrepreneurs grow their businesses across the country. “You could say our platform is Pakistan’s version of Pinduoduo. As an e-commerce platform that targets price-sensitive users, groceries and daily necessities are within our reach,” Fahad Raja, co-founder of Pakistani e-commerce platform Deal Kart, said at the EuroAsia Pakistan Digital Economy Forum held in Beijing.

“As a global giant, Pinduoduo has not yet started its operations in Pakistan. But that’s not a problem, we are building Pinduoduo for ourselves.” Raja said Chinese companies, especially e-commerce companies, are closely linked to his career, CEN reported. “In terms of payments, logistics, technology and the like, Chinese companies have attracted global attention and achieved great achievements. For us, there is too much experience from emerging markets and even too little time to learn, so more connections are urgently needed.” Another young entrepreneur, Shahada Salam, mentioned that CPEC ensures the efficiency of Pakistan’s supply chain transportation. “In my country, most of the equipment comes from China, such as biometric equipment needed to solve security problems, so this corridor is very helpful in the timely delivery of equipment and technology products.”

Currently, more and more Chinese companies are setting up offices in the special economic zone in my hometown, Islamabad, including manufacturing and supply chain departments. We are also inviting a large number of Chinese technology companies to set up offices there so that we can better help them expand their business across the country, and then from Pakistan to the Middle East, Europe, Africa… In the future, it will become an incredible “digital corridor”. The forum was attended by a total of over 200 representatives from all walks of life in China and Pakistan, who are looking forward to a brighter digital future that both countries can benefit from. Speaking at the Global Digital Economy Conference 2024, Shaza Fatima Khwaja, Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunications, Pakistan, said that in recent years, the global landscape has witnessed a digital revolution, positioning the IT sector as the cornerstone of economic development, innovation and social transformation. Recognizing the immense potential of the sector, “both Pakistan and China have made significant progress in harnessing its opportunities,” she added.