ISLAMABAD: The 6th Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting was co-chaired by Board of Investment (BoI) Secretary Fareena Mazhar and Director General, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China, Ying Xiong on Friday.

Both sides reviewed progress of the CPEC Special Economic Zones (SEZs), particularly, Rashakai, Allama Iqbal, Dhabeji, and Bostan SEZs, and expressed satisfaction over the achievements so far.

Furthermore, both sides vowed to take forward the Framework Agreement in a pragmatic manner, which was signed during the prime minister’s visit to China in February.

Contrary to the previous JWG meetings, the 6th JWG witnessed active participation and presentations by the provincial NDRCs in China to strengthen business-to-business collaborations at the provincial levels between the two countries.

Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Guangdong provinces committed to encourage their enterprises to develop linkages with Pakistan’s provincial BOIs and invest therein.

Provincial NDRCs vowed to collaborate with Pakistan’s provincial BOIs for joint efforts to bring in meaningful FDI and strike business-to-business (B2B) ventures.

The Chinese side showed great interest in Pakistan's mining sector.

China Geological Survey and Metallurgical Corporation of China presented their possible proposals for collaboration in the mining sector of Pakistan.

Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) also delivered a detailed presentation highlighting the potential of the sector and possible investment opportunities for Chinese investors.

The BOI also presented proposals of establishing a SEZ at government-to-government (G2G) basis and CPEC Tower in Islamabad.

Representatives of Pakistan Embassy, Beijing and Chinese Embassy, Islamabad were also present in the meeting along with other JWG members.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022