Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque on Thursday invited the Chinese drone manufacturers to move in Pakistan and set up unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) / drone industry and production units in the special technology zones which were being set up in the country.
The present government is offering special incentives and tax exemptions with a focus on civil application of drones, he said while addressing the China-Pakistan Conference on “Building a viable drone industry in Pakistan” held in Pakistan Embassy Beijing.
He informed that the government is in process of formulating national drone policy as well as the establishment of civil drone regulatory authority in Pakistan.
Ambassador Haque said that drones are being used in disaster management, smart cities, policing and agriculture sectors. He said that under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a pilot project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China, in addition to helping Pakistan in building its infrastructure, transportation and Gwadar port, is also cooperating us in the field of Information Technology (IT) and agriculture.
In Pakistan, the National Center for Robotics and Automation (NCRA) is working on the development of drones related solutions and technologies, with the support of a series of dedicated drone labs, including UAV dependability lab, swarm intelligence lab, agriculture statistics lab, and robot design and development lab, he added.
In his keynote speech, Chairman of World UAVs Federation, Yang Jincai informed the participants that over 36 countries in Asia, Europe, North and South America have joined the federation as local chapters.
The UAVs could be used in breeding, disease prevention and control and the cooperation in setting up the drone industry in Pakistan would be beneficial to CPEC construction, he opined.
Welcoming the distinguished participants, Commercial Counsellor, Ghulam Qadir highlighted the trade and investment opportunities in Pakistan and stressed a need for a bilateral cooperation in the field of technology between China and Pakistan.
He also invited the Chinese businessmen to participate in Pakistan’s largest agricultural exhibition being held in Karachi next month.
He said that drone manufacturing industry will find a place and drone companies will be welcomed to display products.
Counsellor Technical Affairs, Khan Muhammad Wazir welcomed the audience and briefed them on technology investment and development through China-Pakistan STI cooperation.
Chief Representative, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Shaikh Muhammad Shariq briefed the audience on role of his bank to facilitate the Chinese companies planning to do business in Pakistan.
The NBP is playing active role to promote bilateral trade between China and Pakistan and in order to further promote trade, his bank is ready for the cooperation in trade, investment and other avenues, he added. —APP
