PCJCCI, Pakpattan chamber discuss areas of cooperation under CPEC

LAHORE: The Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) welcomed a delegation from the Pakpattan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) in Lahore, marking a significant step toward regional economic collaboration and enhanced Chinese engagement in emerging business regions of Pakistan.

The delegation was led by Dewan Muhammad Azmat Mehmood Chishti, President of the Pakpattan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, accompanied by senior members Tanveer Ather Hussain Bukhari and Khalid Raffique Chaudhry.

The agenda focused on exploring opportunities for Chinese support to strengthen business infrastructure in Pakpattan and identifying areas of cooperation between the two chambers under the broader framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Zafar Iqbal, Acting President PCJCCI stated that PCJCCI is committed to extending its network beyond major urban centers to support the untapped potential in Pakistan’s regional economies.

Pakpattan, with its rich agricultural base and growing SME sector, holds promising opportunities for collaboration with Chinese enterprises. Our aim is to build bridges between regional chambers and Chinese investors. We believe Pakpattan can benefit greatly from targeted training, technology transfer, and project-specific investment linkages.

Dewan Muhammad Azmat Mehmood Chishti, President PCCI highlighted the strategic importance of Pakpattan in agriculture, food processing, and textile value chains. He emphasised that Pakpattan’s agri-based economy, especially its wheat, rice, cotton, and dairy production, presents viable opportunities for joint ventures with Chinese companies, particularly in agro-technology, food packaging, and value-added processing.

He expressed a strong desire to see Pakpattan actively integrated into PCJCCI’s national and international programmes, including future trade delegations to China, regional investment forums, and co-hosted industrial exhibitions.

Khalid Raffique Choudhry proposed the initiation of joint capacity-building programmes, particularly in product development, export readiness, and Chinese business culture orientation for local SMEs. Additionally, he recommended identifying pilot projects in collaboration with Chinese investors, such as setting up cold storage facilities, drip irrigation systems, or small-scale textile units using Chinese machinery and know-how.

Salahuddin Hanif, Secretary General PCJCCI discussed the possibility of organizing a “Pakpattan-China Investment Roundtable” under PCJCCI’s facilitation, which would invite Chinese companies with interest in rural industrial development, agri-tech, and textile machinery to engage with entrepreneurs and stakeholders from Pakpattan.

Both chambers agreed to collaborate on several initiatives, including entrepreneur training programmes, industry-specific matchmaking events, and the development of proposals for Chinese investment in agro-industrial and light engineering sectors in South Punjab.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025