PESHAWAR: Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry Khyber Pakhtunkhwa offered partnership to visiting Chinese businesswomen for joint ventures in future.

A nine-member delegation of businesswomen from China was the first to visit and meet WCCIKP members in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after launch of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. The delegation wanted to look at the market and find out business prospects.

“The meeting was very fruitful as we offered Chinese businesswomen partnership in joint ventures,” said WCCIKP president Shamama Arbab, who herself is a businesswoman running her own frozen food chain in Peshawar.

She told Dawn that WCCIKP was assured by Chinese businesswomen that the members of the delegation were all chairpersons of different companies. They were running businesses with more than 100 employments and represented food, garment, construction and decoration businesses, she added.

The delegation was headed by Zhangxiuying. Other members of the delegation included Zhangda, Li Changzhen, Qiaojuan, Wujuzhang, Zhangfeichao, Shenhuiling and Lihongwen.

Ms Arbab said that WCCIKP offered the delegation partnership with local businesswomen in garment, stone, food and decoration businesses as women entrepreneurs were already involved in such businesses in the province.

The chamber offered the delegation its secretariat for establishing links with business women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other language skills if needed. The chamber offered it facilitation in joint business ventures.

“Instead of raw material, if we can encourage Chinese to set up industrial units here for acquiring finished products it would bring good price in market and can be exported,” said Ms Arbab. She was hopeful about it as Chinese businesswomen had also shown interest in the idea.

“Not only we extended friendship between Chinese and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa women, we also are going to do good business together,” she said.

A large number of young entrepreneurs and youth was also invited to attend the meeting with the delegation to encourage them to get involved in developing business ideas.

Published in Dawn November 17th, 2016