KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Chinese Acting Consul General Feng Deheng, on Thursday, discussed bilateral cooperation, investment opportunities, modern technology, agriculture, urban security, and infrastructure development in Sindh.
The meeting, held at CM House, focused particularly on finalising government-to-government agreements recently signed by the Sindh government with Chinese firms during the chief minister’s visit to China. The meeting was attended by the
Chief Minister’s Special Assistant, Syed Qasim Naveed, and Principal Secretary Agha Wasif.
The Chinese Consul General congratulated the Chief Minister on the successful organisation of the Shanghai Investment Conference. He said the participation of 400 investors in the conference reflected their confidence in the Sindh government.
Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said the provincial government was committed to strengthening cooperation with Chinese investors and promoting investment in various sectors.
The Chief Minister said negotiations with Huawei were being finalised for Phase II of the Karachi Safe City Project. He expressed his desire to start work on the project soon, emphasising that Karachi, being a major city, required a modern security system.
He said that during his recent visit to China, he had inspected Huawei’s Safe City system. The Sindh government aims to establish a state-of-the-art Safe City system, including a modern command and control centre, to strengthen security and surveillance in Karachi.
The Chief Minister said discussions had also been held on acquiring Chinese technology to increase sunflower and wheat production in Sindh.
He emphasised that the provincial government wanted to benefit from China’s technological expertise to improve agricultural productivity and promote development in the agriculture sector.
Discussing infrastructure development, the Chief Minister said the Sindh government wanted to install the remaining gates of Sukkur Barrage during the winter season.
He added that the government intended to expedite the installation of 100 gates for Sukkur Barrage and its off-taking canals. During his visit to China, he had also visited a company manufacturing barrage gates in connection with the project.
The Chief Minister said discussions had taken place on establishing a sister-city relationship between Sukkur and Yichang, China, a city associated with the Three Gorges region.
He highlighted Sukkur’s importance as a major agricultural and industrial centre, noting that the city has three universities, important healthcare facilities and a significant industrial area.
He further said that a sister-city arrangement would create opportunities for cooperation between universities, hospitals and other institutions in both cities, paving the way for knowledge-sharing and joint initiatives.
The Chief Minister and the Chinese Consul General agreed to establish working groups for different sectors to strengthen bilateral cooperation and facilitate the implementation of agreements.
Syed Murad Ali Shah said the formation of working groups would help ensure effective coordination and accelerate progress on the various initiatives discussed during the meeting.
The Chief Minister thanked the Chinese authorities for their cooperation in making his visit to China successful and expressed appreciation for the hospitality extended to him and his delegation.
The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of the Sindh government and the Chinese side to enhancing cooperation in investment, technology, agriculture, urban security and infrastructure development.
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