A Chinese delegation, headed by the Group Chairman, Wang Jianbin held a meeting with Minister for the Board of Investment (BoI) Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, in which China expressed its desire to establish a solar panel plant in Pakistan, 24NewsHD TV channel reported.
The delegation conveyed its intention to invest billions of dollars in Pakistan’s solar energy and other high-tech sectors.
Welcoming the proposal, Qaiser Ahmad Sheikh said it was “a great time and a golden opportunity for investment in Pakistan”.
He highlighted the government’s commitment to improving the business environment, citing recent reforms launched by the prime minister to ease of doing business facilitation process, including the new single-window Business Facilitation Centre (BFC) process for business facilitation.
As part of its facilitation package, the BOI informed the delegation that the government is prepared to allocate 6,000 acres of land for investment.
The meeting also reviewed outcomes of the second edition of the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference held in Beijing in September this year, which resulted in agreements and joint ventures worth $8.5 billion across multiple priority sectors.
The minister also briefed the visitors on Special Economic Zones (SEZs), which offer various incentives, including zero income tax for the first 10 years.
Qaiser Ahmad Sheikh noted that Pakistan is on a path to economic stabilisation, with the stock market index having risen nearly four-to-five-fold over the past year.
He reiterated that sectors such as agriculture, solar energy, information technology, chemicals, and manufacturing offer significant growth and export potential for foreign investors.