Businesspeople's legitimate concerns

This is apropos a Business Recorder news item 'CPEC: No trade concessions to China: Dastgir" carried by the newspaper yesterday. According to it, Commerce Minister engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan has said that Pakistan will not extend trade concessions to China under the "game changer" China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). "There is no change in trade volume with China even after the CPEC project. China will not be given any special consideration in trade under the CPEC," the minister was quoted as saying.
This is perhaps for the first time that the government has sought to ease deepening concerns of the Pakistani traders who, it appears, think that the CPEC would ultimately hurt their interests. The situation underlines the restlessness of our business community. Though their concerns are largely legitimate, they are required to show confidence in themselves. The situation requires them to become more competitive and show a creative approach to business. Only then will they be able to deal with the CPEC and other real and perceived challenges in an effective and meaningful manner. Their business strategies must be characterised by considerable initiative and risk.