KARACHI: Chinese bu­­sinesses on Thursday ex­­p­ressed their interest in inv­e­­sting $1 billion to establish a medical city in Pak­istan. They received commitment from Presi­d­ent Asif Ali Zardari of support for the neighbouring country’s investors “in every possible way”.

President Zardari also called for greater Chinese investment in other sectors of economy to boost cooperation between the two countries.

The two sides exchanged these views during a meeting between a Chinese delegation and President Zar­dari at Bilawal House. Sin­dh Chief Minister Syed Mu­­­rad Ali Shah, Minister for Trans­port and Infor­ma­tion Shar­jeel Inam Mem­on, Minister for Energy Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, and Sp­­­ecial Assistant to the Chief Minister for Inv­est­ment Syed Qasim Qam­ar also attended the meeting.

President Zardari assures them of support ‘in every possible way’

The Chinese delegation was led by the consul general in Karachi, Yang Yundong.

President Zardari emp­hasised the need for enha­nced interaction between the people of two countries, especially between investors and bu­­sinesses, to increase bilateral trade and economic bonds.

“The delegation expres­sed interest in investing $1bn to establish a medical city in Pakistan to improve the country’s healthcare sector. The delegation also expressed interest to invest in agriculture, livestock, energy, transport, and manufacturing,” said a statement issued after the meeting.

Welcoming the delegation, Pre­sident Zardari said that Pakistan and China shared commonalities of interest and views on important issues, besid­­es enjoying deep-rooted and historic brotherly ties.

“We have been close friends for decades, and it was my vision to develop Gwadar Port into a regional trade and economic hub that would not only improve regional connectivity but would also boost regional trade and economic cooperation,” the statement quoted the president as saying.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2024