Chinese businesses urged to scale up investments in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi on Friday urged Chinese businesses to scale up investments in Pakistan, highlighting immediate opportunities across key sectors.

He announced that more than 60 companies are scheduled to visit the country next month to advance industrial and digital partnerships.

He said this while addressing a China–Pakistan Investment Promotion Conference held in Beijing, which brought together over 70 Chinese companies from diverse sectors. The conference was organised by IBI GuolianGufan Group in collaboration with the Pakistan Embassy, the Beijing Federation of Industry and Commerce, and local district authorities.

The development comes as Pakistan intensifies efforts to position itself as a regional production and export hub, offering access to a market of nearly three billion consumers spanning South Asia, the Gulf and Central Asia.

In his remarks, Ambassador Hashmi highlighted Pakistan’s strategic location, competitive labour costs, investor-friendly policies and strong government facilitation for Chinese enterprises. He identified energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, the digital economy and agriculture as sectors offering immediate and scalable investment opportunities.

He also welcomed IBI GuolianGufan Group’s decision to establish its Pakistan Digital Economy Headquarters in the country, terming it a flagship initiative aimed at enhancing digital trade, industrial connectivity and supply chain integration between Pakistan and China.

Building on the momentum of the Pakistan–China Industrial Cooperation Summit held earlier this week in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, the ambassador encouraged participating companies to join the upcoming delegation to Pakistan from May 8 to 14, which will include the inauguration of the regional office, business engagements and visits to key economic centres.

President Qian of IBI GuolianGufan said Pakistan’s designation as a priority partner reflects the group’s long-term global strategy and commitment to fostering industrial collaboration and digital ecosystem development.

Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman of the Beijing Federation of Industry and Commerce noted that the conference served as a platform to translate policy dialogue into practical cooperation, urging Chinese enterprises to pursue high-quality global expansion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026