One of the founders of Alibaba Software Park and Director of National Software Industry Alliance Song Xiaochun has said that he would replicate the project of Chinese IT giant "Alibaba" in Pakistan. Song Xiaochun while heading a Chinese delegation revealed this at a meeting with the Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) President Shah Faisal Afridi here at Haier Ruba Special Economic Zone on Thursday.
Luo weijie, Deputy Director of Industrial economy Division Zhejiang Province and Dr Li Chunguang, Advanced Strategy Counsellor in MIIT software and Vice Director of Planning Department in digital city council of China society for urban studies were members of the delegation.
China wants to help Pakistan complete the undergoing IT projects, he said and added that information sharing between china and Pakistan is dire need of time. He suggested a full time organisation with thousands of Chinese and Pakistani trained people working together for the earliest completion of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. He said that it is not possible until and unless both countries go for Knowledge Joint ventures rather than going for only joint ventures in buildings and highways.
Song acknowledged the services of PCJCCI chief for the full time support and co-operation during their stay in Pakistan. He said that the next visit would be the practical initiation of the Model IT software park at the land specified by the government for this purpose. The delegation during its week stay visited Investment Promotion Conference organised by PBIT (Punjab Board of Investment and Trade) where they held meeting with the Chief Minister and exchanged their views regarding Pak-China Information Technology Park. The delegation was hosted by Chinese Counsel General, Yu Boren and Director General of Punjab Information technology board (PITB), Dr Faisal.
The delegation also met with Vice Chancellor University of Engineering and Technology Fazal Ahmed Khalid and signed a memorandum of understanding for commissioning research team to highlight the needs of Pakistani information technology Industry. The delegation was briefed about the areas wherein Pakistan lacks in terms of technology are Banking, Insurance, Finance, and security. A joint research and monitoring team was formulated to monitor the future progress under the signed MoU.
The PCJCCI President assured all out co-operation in establishing model IT Park by China in Pakistan. He said merely building roads and highways are not a big deal, what is important for sustainable development is the information sharing between Pakistan and China. Aridi said that industrial Information zones should be developed between China and Pakistan. He said that IT Park would be the foundation through which Chinese IT industry could be transformed to Pakistan. "In terms of Infrastructure Pakistan could not import everything, Pakistan must be capable enough to generate products of its need" he added.
The delegation also held a detailed meeting with the Chairman Higher Education Commission, Professor Dr Nizamudin, who provided information regarding current situation of Information technology in educational institutes of Pakistan and said that Pakistan is a huge population and there is an emergent need to involve people in information technology industry in order to make them competitive and innovative.