{"id":32383,"date":"2026-05-26T06:51:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T06:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=32383"},"modified":"2026-05-26T06:51:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T06:51:26","slug":"dar-says-pakistan-is-open-for-business-at-china-investment-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=32383","title":{"rendered":"Dar says \u2018Pakistan is open for business\u2019 at China investment conference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DPM says over $13b in MoUs and joint ventures have been signed through bilateral B2B engagements<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"deputy<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal reach Beijing on Sunday. PHOTO: ISHAQ DAR\/ X<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan was \u201copen for business\u201d as he addressed the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference in Hangzhou, highlighting deepening economic cooperation between Islamabad and Beijing during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif\u2019s official visit to China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He arrived in Beijing along with Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal for a series of high-level political and diplomatic engagements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addressing Chinese and Pakistani business leaders at the conference focused on information technology, telecom, battery energy storage systems and agriculture, Dar described the selected sectors as central to Pakistan\u2019s \u201ceconomic transformation and industrial modernisation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPakistan is open for business. Pakistan is reforming. Pakistan is rising,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dar said more than 500 companies from both countries were participating in the conference, which he described as a reflection of the growing Pakistan-China business partnership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deputy prime minister said the government under Prime Minister Shehbaz had pursued a programme focused on economic revival, industrial expansion and sustainable growth, adding that Pakistan had achieved economic stabilisation over the past four years despite external challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had \u201cfundamentally redefined its role\u201d by placing economic diplomacy at the centre of Pakistan\u2019s foreign policy. \u201cExpanding B2B engagement with China is a powerful example of this new direction,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highlighting progress in bilateral economic cooperation, Dar said Pakistan and China had organised two business-to-business conferences in China and two in Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCumulatively, more than 300 MoUs and nearly three dozen joint ventures have been signed, with a total value exceeding 13 billion US dollars,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we have obtained nearly 30% conversion rate from MoUs to agreements and contracts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the achievements were \u201cnot merely statistics\u201d but reflected \u201ctrust, confidence, and shared ambition\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Referring to recent developments in bilateral investment, Dar said the IBI Pakistan Digital Economy Headquarters had been established in Islamabad within eight months of discussions held in Beijing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin less than eight months after Chairman Qian\u2019s meeting with the prime minister in Beijing, IBI has established and started its operations,\u201d he said, adding that the initiative had already resulted in MoUs worth more than $1 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dar also highlighted an upcoming joint venture between Pakistan\u2019s Servis Group and China\u2019s Longstar Group, saying the Chinese company was preparing to establish a billion-dollar company in Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese achievements are the result of coordinated efforts across multiple Pakistani institutions under the guidance of the prime minister,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The foreign minister praised Pakistan\u2019s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi and officials involved in organising the conference for their efforts in coordinating business matchmaking initiatives across Chinese cities and consulates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Referring to Hashmi receiving the Chinese Government Friendship Award, Dar described it as recognition of the diplomat\u2019s \u201cinvaluable contributions to strengthening Pakistan-China relations\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deputy prime minister said Pakistan viewed China\u2019s economic diplomacy model as an example for its own institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat our Missions in China are doing is economic diplomacy in action,\u201d he said, adding that the approach combined engagement, targeted outreach, strategic partnerships and measurable outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read: <\/strong>PM Shehbaz arrives in Hangzhou on four-day official visit to China<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and China, Dar said the relationship had \u201cstood the test of time, changing global realities, and regional challenges\u201d. \u201cOur iron brotherhood is growing stronger with each passing year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that traditional government-to-government relations were now being reinforced by expanding business-to-business cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quoting a Chinese proverb, Dar said: \u201cA journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.\u201d \u201cI must say the Chinese economic model of learning by doing, induction, and two years offers lessons for Pakistan. I am glad that we took that first step in Shenzhen two years ago,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd now, there is no looking back, only forward and upward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang during his four-day visit from May 23-26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prime minister is also expected to attend an event marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, meet executives of leading Chinese companies and visit the China Academy of Agricultural Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Foreign Office said the visit would add \u201cnew dimensions\u201d to Pakistan-China relations, particularly through enhanced cooperation between Pakistani and Chinese firms under Phase II of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More: <\/strong>Shehbaz praises visionary leadership of China’s Xi<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last month, President Asif Ali Zardari also completed a five-day visit<\/a> to China, during which both countries signed multiple MoUs aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in desalination, agricultural technology, and the tea industry. This move is expected to boost investment, technology transfer, and economic ties between the two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier in January, Pakistan and China agreed<\/a> to align their development strategies and build an upgraded version of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, known as CPEC 2.0, during wide-ranging talks in Beijing that also covered political ties, security cooperation and regional and international issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of their economic engagement, Pakistan and China agreed to develop an upgraded CPEC, a pioneering project of the Belt and Road Initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two sides said the new phase would focus on the key sectors of industry, agriculture and mining, promote the building and operation of Gwadar Port, ensure the smooth passage of the Karakoram Highway, and enhance Pakistan\u2019s capacity for sustainable development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also agreed to deepen cooperation in trade and investment, information technology, science and technology, cybersecurity, technical and vocational training and education, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two sides stated that the year-round opening of the Khunjerab Pass would facilitate two-way trade and further strengthen people-to-people contacts. They also welcomed third-party participation in CPEC cooperation in accordance with the modalities agreed by both countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reference Link:- https:\/\/tribune.com.pk\/story\/2609807\/dar-says-pakistan-is-open-for-business-at-china-investment-conference<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DPM says over $13b in MoUs and joint ventures have been signed through bilateral B2B engagements Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal reach Beijing on Sunday. PHOTO: ISHAQ DAR\/ X Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan was \u201copen for business\u201d as he addressed the Pakistan-China B2B Investment […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[29407,29408,24036,2307,29405,27571,29409,29406,29404,483],"class_list":["post-32383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sample-category","tag-13-billion-mous","tag-b2b-engagement","tag-bilateral-2","tag-china-3","tag-chinese-investment-2","tag-deputy-prime-minister","tag-freign-minister","tag-investment-conference-2","tag-open-for-business","tag-pakistan-2","post_format-post-format-aside"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32383"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32385,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32383\/revisions\/32385"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}