10 April 2005	Sunday	30 Safar 1426

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LAHORE, April 9: Visiting Yunnan business delegation leader Tang Lilu has advised Pakistani businessmen to start joint ventures with Chinese partners for achieving competitiveness in the international market and entering the Chinese market.

Mr Tang Lilu, who is the assistant governor of Yunnan province, gave the advice while replying to former LCCI president Ijaz Butt during a visit of the trade delegation to the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Saturday.

The industrialist lamented the fall of shoe exports of his company to Germany from 10 to 15 million dollars per annum to one million dollars on account of availability of Chinese shoes at half the price. He stressed the need for increasing a two-way trade between China and Pakistan instead of the existing one way trade.

He also emphasized frequent exchange of information and trade delegation between the two countries for the expansion of the bilateral trade volume. He said Punjab and Yunnan could be declared sister provinces for achieving maximum cooperation in all the fields.

He invited the businessmen from Lahore to participate in the Kunming exhibition being held in Yunnan from June 6 for launching their products in the Chinese market. Around 10,000 entrepreneurs would participate in the exhibition which would have some 2,000 stalls. He offered 10 stalls to the LCCI members for the display of their products.

Mr Lilu said that iron and steel, copper, pharmaceuticals, tourism, agriculture and real estate were the potential sector for joint ventures and economic cooperation between Pakistan and China.

Chamber president Mian Misbahur Rehman said in his welcome address that there was tremendous potential for meaningful business ventures between Yunnan and Punjab.

Potential areas, he said, could be identified followed by institutional support for establishing linkages with importers and distributors of Yunnan. Readily available products in Yunnan like silk, cocoon, tin, zinc, tea and soybean could be imported.