Islamabad: In a significant move to bolster economic ties, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has issued directives to the Gwadar Port Authority to extend full support and provide necessary facilities to Chinese companies operating in Pakistan. This instruction came during a meeting with a delegation from China’s Hengeng Trading Company, led by Chairman Zhang Bin.

According to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of offering uninterrupted utilities in the Gwadar Free Zone and expressed Pakistan’s keen interest in leveraging Chinese advancements in agriculture. He welcomed Chinese investors and highlighted the positive outcomes of recent business-to-business agreements between Pakistani and Chinese firms as a sign of strengthening bilateral business relations.

The delegation from Hengeng Trading Company shared details of their substantial investments across multiple sectors in Pakistan, including agriculture, livestock, and pharmaceuticals. They reported the construction of a state-of-the-art slaughterhouse in Gwadar, costing 50 million dollars, which upon completion, is expected to enable the Pakistani livestock sector to export goods worth approximately 30 million dollars annually. This project is also anticipated to generate around one thousand new jobs for locals.

Moreover, the delegation noted that Hengeng Trading Company is actively exporting pharmaceuticals to China after processing them in the Gwadar Free Zone, further exemplifying the growing economic collaboration between the two countries.