CHINA has always proved to be a true friend of Pakistan. It has always gone an extra mile to support Pakistan economically as well as protect its interests at international forums including the FATF. During the dialogue on Industrial Cooperation under CPEC and SEZs Framework, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing said that Beijing would welcome investment into Pakistan’s Special Economic Zones from other countries. This unambiguously shows how much the Chinese friends care for the economic wellbeing and development of Pakistan. This should also serve as a shut up call to those who never miss any opportunity to kick dust on the multi billion dollars CPEC project. In fact Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vision of shared prosperity is cultivating fruits of prosperity across the region. As regards the SEZs are concerned, the Chinese companies, as also pointed out by the Chinese Ambassador, are showing keen interest to invest in these zones. They are entering into joint ventures with Pakistani companies in the areas of manufacturing of tyres, buses, trucks and textiles. Reportedly, the Chinese companies are expected to invest five billion dollars in the SEZs over the next three to five years. Indeed this investment will also encourage investors from other countries to come to Pakistan and invest in these zones which will go a long way in transforming Pakistan as an industrial hub in the region. Nobody can deny the importance of industrialization for the country as it will take the country towards sustainable growth, bolster exports and provide hundreds and thousands of job opportunities to our youth. But we can only achieve this target provided the investors are fully facilitated in every possible manner. We therefore will urge the government to operationalize these zones at the earliest and that the investors are provided with all the basic facilities there. It is also for our top officials to properly brief other countries such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia on the CPEC in order to attract from these countries. Making the SEZs model successful, we can really come out of debt trap and achieve self-reliance.
