Pak-China Trade Swells from $9.3b To $11.8b In One Year

Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif has said that China is the most reliable friend, has always stood with Pakistan and helped it in all respects.
He was speaking at Pakistan-China Business Opportunities Conference jointly organized by the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Punjab Board of Investment & Trader (PBIT). A 100-member Chinese delegation also attended the Conference while LCCI President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad, Senior Vice President Almas Hyder, Vice President Nasir Saeed also spoke on the occasion while Consul General of China in Lahore Yu Boren, Chairman Pak-China Friendship Association Sha Zukang, Provincial Minister Ayesha Ghous Pasha, Chairman Punjab Board of Investment & Trade Abdul Basit, former LCCI Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents and Executive Committee Members were also present in the Conference.
Chief Minister Punjab said that China is a very important partner in Pakistan Economic Development and Bilateral trade. The involvement of Chinese enterprises both in term of technical and financial assistance in several development projects is reflective of our cordial relations based on mutual trust and sincerity.
Shahbaz Sharif termed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as an energy and infrastructure program with the investment of $46bn in Pakistan. He said that $ 46 billion is the biggest investment ever made by China in any foreign country. This program, he said, when completed would help end power outages in the country, and ensure seamless connectivity between China, South and Central Asia. He said that investment climate is getting better with every passing day due to best policies of Punjab government and all possible facilities are being provided to foreign investors.
The LCCI President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad said that both the countries not only share border but also have unanimity of views on various political & economic issues. He said that two countries have a combined market of more than 1.5 billion people but the trade volume needs to be pushed up. He said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Project will change the destiny of Pakistan. He said that most of raw material is being import for the projects under CPEC. He suggested that Pakistani material approved from Pakistan Engineering Council should be used for CPEC projects. He said that Chinese technological advancement could help Pakistan overcome economic challenges in a short span of time. He also announced to set a “China Desk” at the LCCI to provide necessary information to the investors. He said that informed the participants of the Conference that the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry is making all out efforts to bring the private sector of the two friends closure. He said that the LCCI is also organizing Chinese language courses for its member so that they could interact with their Chinese counterparts quite easily.
The LCCI Senior Vice President Almas Hyder said that Chinese investment in energy projects will certainly solve the issue of energy shortage in Pakistan. He invited the Chinese businessmen to enhance their investment in priority sectors including Oil and Gas, Mining, Infrastructure, Power and IT & Telecom etc. He said that though trade has been increased from $ 9.3 billion in 2013 to $ 11.8 billion in 2014 but still there is a lot of room for enhancement of trade and economic ties.
Chinese Consul General Yu Boren said that both Pakistan and China had huge potential to increase the bilateral trade as the existing volume of two-way trade between the two countries is very small when it is compared with the total Chinese business. He said that incentive package and China-Pak Economic Corridor is enough to make the point that China gives top priority to Pakistan in terms of business and trade.
Chairman Pak-China Friendship Association Sha Zukang spoke highly about Pakistan and said that CPEC would further cement trade and economic ties between the two countries. He said that China-Pakistan relations had become an example of state to state relations. He said both countries looked forward to have further exchanges of visits, to have more high level contacts to promote mutual friendship and cooperation in various fields including politics, economy and people to people contacts. He said China Pakistan Economic Corridor would be further promoted, particularly cooperation in trade, investment, energy and communications would be strengthened.

Published January 21, 2016 on http://nation.com.pk/business/21-Jan-2016/pak-china-trade-swells-from-9-3b-to-11-8b-in-one-year

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Senators Criticise Government for ‘Bypassing Parliament’ On CPEC

ISLAMABAD: Senators urged the government on Tuesday to resolve outstanding issues of national importance through discussions in parliament, instead of multi-party conferences (MPCs).

Speaking on an adjournment motion on the concerns of people of Khyber Pakhtunkwa (KP) and Balochistan over the western route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), several opposition members criticised the government for ‘bypassing parliament in the process of decision making on major issues’.

The senators welcomed the government’s act of allaying concerns of smaller provinces on the CPEC by convening a meeting of parliamentary leaders of all parties at Prime Minister House on Jan 15. But, they said, it would have been better if the prime minister had given the assurances on the floor of the Senate.

Opposition Leader Aitzaz Ahsan said that it was regrettable that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had undertaken a visit to Saudi Arabia and Iran with army chief Gen Raheel Sharif without taking the parliament into confidence. “We welcome these visits. But such decisions should be made on the floor of the parliament and not between the individuals.”

The criticism on the government came when Leader of the House Raja Zafarul Haq opposed a discussion on the adjournment motion, saying that the issue had been settled at a meeting of the country’s political leadership with the prime minister on Jan 15.

Mohsin Leghari, an independent senator who was presiding over the session in the absence of the chairman, allowed the debate, rejecting Mr Haq’s assertion and saying that the discussion in the parliament was more important than the MPCs.

Tanveerul Haq Thanvi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement said that they (senators) should have collectively made a demand that the prime minister should come to the Senate and take them into confidence on the CPEC.

Daud Achakzai of the Awami National Party said that the prime minister should come to the house at least for the sake of prestige of the parliament.

Usman Kakar of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party said that four MPCs had already been held on the CPEC because of the government’s act of ignoring the parliament.

PPP’s Sassui Palejo called for involving provinces in the process of decision making on important issues like the economic corridor. She said that such decisions should be made in the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

Another PPP leader, Taj Haider, said that the prime minister should continue to monitor implementation of CPEC-related projects to remove distrust among the provinces.

He said that no rail project had been included in the CPEC despite the fact that transportation of goods through the rail was much cheaper than the road.

PPP’s Farhatullah Babar said that distrust of the CPEC’s alignment and implementation was growing because of contradictory statements by the government, lack of transparency and disregard of constitutional bodies like the CCI and the parliament in addressing the issues of concern.

Holding Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal responsible for the confusion, he recounted contradictory statements made by the minister from time to time.

After the decision to give priority to the western route made in the May 28 MPC, he said, they were expecting that the priority would be reflected in the allocations in the Public Sector Development Programme. But a close scrutiny of the documents reveals that projects under the eastern route, though not named as such, have been allocated over Rs84 billion against only Rs20 billion for road projects under the western route.

Then, Mr Babar said, came the ‘drama’ of inaugurating the so-called western route in Zhob, which actually was an old road project of the 1990s.

He suggested that the Planning Commission be sidelined from the CPEC at least temporarily and saner and trustworthy figures like Raja Zafarul Haq and Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, who had demonstrated willingness to take along all stakeholders, be given the task (of implementing the project).

He also called for taking into account reservations and requirements of the people of Gilgit Baltistan which, he said, had been totally ignored.

Winding up the debate, Raja Zafarul Haq said that a 10-member committee headed by the prime minister had been setup and any issue would be resolved through consensus. He said that the government was sincere in removing reservations of all political parties about the CPEC. It has been decided to hold regular meetings on the project to remove apprehensions.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2016

http://www.dawn.com/news/1234188/senators-criticise-government-for-bypassing-parliament-on-cpec