Prime Minister to visit China next month

[MultaniGuy]

Because Pakistan has better treatment. China unilaterally granted Pakistan zero tariff treatment.
Chinese goods entering Pakistan need to pay taxes. Pakistani goods entering China are duty-free.

To our Chinese friends...yes...

We need trade so our industries can improve. Hopefully we will do more cooperation.

 

[MH.Yang]

1. If someone wants to access Chinese market, they will invest in China. The only reason to invest in Pakistan would be if cost of production was less in Pakistan vis-a-vis China. I dont think that is the case though.

Yes. But reducing the cost of Pakistani goods should be Pakistan's job, it's hard for China to do too much. In fact, China has only given unilateral zero tariff treatment to two countries, and the other is Cuba.

2. Exchange of currency with Yuan will only help in Chinese imports. This Yuan will only help Pakistan in trade with other nations or bolstering in forex reserves. Correct me if I am wrong.

Of course, the exchange of currency will inevitably encourage Pakistan to strengthen trade with China. We need to understand that China cannot bear all the losses without any gains. In fact, according to the exchange rate, 351 billion PKR can only be exchanged for 12.6 billion CNY, not 20 billion CNY, the difference of 7.4 billion CNY(Equivalent to $1.2 billion per year) is actually China's implicit aid to Pakistan. The fixed exchange currency ratio is also helping Pakistan stabilize its exchange rate, and the agreement is also a warning to managers of hedge funds. There are too many Indian managers on Wall Street, but even if the economy is in bad shape, Pakistan has never worried about hedge funds taking advantage of the fire, has it? Finally, many countries in the world accept CNY settlement, such as Iran, Russia, most ASEAN countries, most central Asian, Eastern and southern African countries and so on. Pakistan needs to import oil and gas from these countries, doesn't it?

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Anti Pakistan Elements will line up and cause a Noise , specially the fat yellow turban fella

 

[Bilal.]

Because Pakistan has better treatment. China unilaterally granted Pakistan zero tariff treatment.
Chinese goods entering Pakistan need to pay taxes. Pakistani goods entering China are duty-free.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/China–Pakistan_Free_Trade_Agreement

My understanding is that the zero tariff is on a certain list of tariff lines and not across the board. And also that the ASEAN countries have it on more items compared to Pakistan.

Also from what I understand it’s not unilateral and similar concessions and duty free access in agreed tariff lines have been given to Chinese goods entering Pakistan.

Why did Pakistan not join RCEP deal then?

We are the flagship of OBOR. Our economic progress will form the narrative and success story for all other countries to subscribe to the Chinese vision. It’s more than just transactional benefit that China will gain from it.

 

[pc_alt]

We are the flagship of OBOR. Our economic progress will form the narrative and success story for all other countries to subscribe to the Chinese vision. It’s more than just transactional benefit that China will gain from it.

Oh.. so you still believe in CPEC being the game-changer for Pakistan?

 

[Bilal.]

Oh.. so you still believe in CPEC being the game-changer for Pakistan?

Did you read what I wrote or do you have comprehension problem?

 

[pc_alt]

Did you read what I wrote or do you have comprehension problem?

I read it.. I am asking if you believe CPEC will really bring benefits for Pakistan.

 

[Bilal.]

I read it.. I am asking if you believe CPEC will really bring benefits for Pakistan.

The jury is still out. It’s success will market the OBOR vision to the world. That is why giving additional zero or reduced tariff lines will benefit China beyond just transactionally but on a much more strategic level. As Pakistan economic success and prosperity will be marketed as the success of OBOR vision.

 

[ghazi52]

Visit to China

PM Imran said that his upcoming visit to China would provide him an opportunity to witness the winter Olympics.

He lamented that despite being a sportsman for two decades, he had not witnessed such an event in the past and that he did not get time for sports due to his political career.

He further said that Pakistan would teach the Chinese nation to play cricket and hoped that the Chinese would excel in the game.

 

[ghazi52]

How PM Imran Khan can make his China visit successful​

By Shakeel Ahmad Ramay
February 02, 2022

Prime Minister Imran khan will be leaving for China to attend opening ceremony of Beijing Winter Olympics. Chinese leadership has scheduled meetings with Prime Minister of Pakistan to discuss bilateral relation. Government is busy to formulate comprehensive agenda for fruitful interaction. On January 26, the PM held meeting with top civil and military leadership to deliberate on possible agenda for the visit. The CPEC was major focus of the meeting along with other subjects.

In the anticipation of visit, Pakistan initiated process of preparations much earlier. Pakistan concentrated on two areas — improving business environment and security of CPEC. To improve business environment, the government has accelerated reform process. We can observe a new vigour on the part of government to inject efficiency in industrialization process under the Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Board of Investment (BOI), being secretariat of industrial cooperation, has expedited efforts to devise innovative or efficient systems to facilitate the industrialization.

However, to make the visit successful, the government will have to concentrate on real problems the business community is facing. The most important issues are complicated institutional framework, complex and lengthy procedures, corruption and political games among the parties.

Although, EODB ranking of Pakistan had improved but these problems are still haunting the country. For example, it takes 113 days to get electricity connection (almost 4 months), 125 days for construction permit (more than 4 months) and 105 days for property registration. The 18th amendment has further complicated the institutional framework. In this context, One Stop-Services is a good idea, but it is not ultimate solution.
Thus, real task of government should be to tackle inefficiencies in system, knock out complications and bring down the number of days for all services. It is proposed that the time limit should not exceed 15 days for all services.

Second, tax system is another problem, which really bothered the investors in industrial sector. First, industry has to bear major burden of tax revenue. Services and Agriculture sectors are not paying taxes according to their share in national economy.

The tax system is very complicated. There are 35 departments or agencies in the taxation system. On top of that, the provincial tax systems and legal requirements further aggravate the situation. Lack of harmonization of tax policies of provinces is one of the biggest bottlenecks to attract foreign direct investment. Inconsistency is in taxation policy is also impacting the trust of business community.

Therefore, the government should harmonize taxation policies of provinces in line with national policy, and ensure no changes in policy for certain time period. Instead of having various tax agencies, a national tax authority should be created. The concept and working of the authority have been explained by Dr Ikrum in a research paper for PIDE.

Third, the entire insolvency and dispute resolution systems need change. These are extremely complicated at this point of time. The most problematic part is the involvement of multiple institutions, departments and agencies. For example, bankruptcy process, on average takes 2.6 years and success rate is only 42%. Thus, BOI will have to devise tools, which can make the process easy. The government can create single institution to perform the job.

Security is another area on which government is working diligently. Since the Dasu attack Pakistan is putting all efforts to refine the security framework related to CPEC and Chinese investment.

In addition to above actions, the prime minister should also ask his team to prepare a progress report on MoUs signed during his last visit to China. It will be a real positive indicator for the business community. They will consider Pakistan as a serious country to implement MoUs. It will encourage them to sign new MoUs. However, the government should focus on converting the already signed MoUs into investment agreements rather than looking for new MoUs.

The PM should also order his team to prepare comparative analysis of Pakistani SEZs with other potential competitors’ SEZs. The comparative analysis of SEZs will facilitate industrialist to make a decision for investment in Pakistan.

Lastly, the PM should carry the proposed reform list and new security framework with him and share it with Chinese leadership and business community. He may also also seek suggestions from CPC leadership and government officials as China has rich experience to design and implement the reforms.

In conclusion, the Prime Minister should focus on sharing concrete plans or list of actions. A good number of Chinese companies are working in Pakistan. They know the ground realities, status of reforms and state of development of special economic zones, very well. So dream selling should be avoided.

 

[ghazi52]

Prime Minister Imran Khan will be leaving for China on Thursday on a four-day visit, during which he will attend the Winter Olympics 2022 in Beijing and hold bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping and premier Li Keqiang.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) in Islamabad, Prime Minister Imran's visit from February 3 to February 6 has been scheduled on the Chinese leadership's special invitation and he will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including members of the Cabinet and senior government officials.

The statement said that in meetings between the premier and the Chinese leadership, the entire gamut of bilateral relations between Pakistan and China would be reviewed, with a particular focus on stronger trade and economic cooperation, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"They will also have wide-ranging exchange of views on major regional and international issues," the statement added.

The prime minister’s visit is taking place after nearly two years and it will mark the culmination of celebrations commemorating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, according to the FO.

In this regard, the statement said, more than 140 events had been organised to "showcase the resilience of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and the unfolding international situation".

"It (the visit) would thus renew the bilateral commitment to taking the iron-clad partnership between Pakistan and China to new heights and add impetus to cooperation across multiple domains."

According to the FO statement, a number of memoranda of understanding and agreements would be concluded during the visit, and the prime minister would also meet prominent business leaders of China and representatives of leading Chinese think-tanks, academia and the media.

"The prime minister will also have other bilateral interactions on the sidelines," the statement said.

In relevance to the visit, the statement also highlighted the importance of the Olympics, describing the global event as a means to "foster mutual understanding, inclusivity and friendship among the peoples of the world".

"Beijing will soon become the first city to host both summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games. It is highly admirable that the Chinese government has made meticulous arrangements for holding the Winter Olympic Games despite the Covid-19 pandemic," the statement read.

 

[ghazi52]

 

[ghazi52]

PM's China visit 'historic', CPEC-related matters to be discussed: Sheikh Rashid​

BR Web Desk
02 Feb, 2022


Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid has said matters pertaining to the China-Pakistan Econimic Corridor (CPEC) will be discussed during the important visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China.

Addressing a presser on Wednesday, the interior minister said that during the PM's visit, matters relating to CPEC, regional situation and Pak-China's relationship will be discussed.

"PM upcoming visit to China will be historic," the minister said.

The PM is set to embark on a four-day visit to China from February 3 (Thursday). During the visit, the PM will hold bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, with a particular focus on stronger trade and economic cooperation including CPEC, a statement by the Foreign Office said earlier.

 

[ghazi52]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to float proposals to Chinese government for renegotiation on contracts of power projects established under CPEC on the pattern of other IPPs or to purchase 1200-MW electricity from Pakistan for onward supply to Afghanistan, well informed sources in CPEC Authority told Business Recorder.

These proposals will be presented to Chinese top leadership during the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China commencing from Thursday (today).

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on CPEC, Khalid Mansoor has finalised all the proposals with respect to issues of CPEC projects, their resolution mechanism and future cooperation in different sectors.

Meanwhile, sources in Commerce Ministry told Business Recorder that Prime Minister will also seek support from Chinese leadership to increase exports by $3 billion per annum. Commerce Ministry has shared its talking points with the Prime Minister, who is also Minister Incharge Commerce. Pakistan will request China to enhance the rice quota.
.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022..

 

[ghazi52]

Ministers, adviser highlight expanding Pak-China relations as PM Imran leaves for 4-day visit​

Dawn.com
February 3, 2022

As Prime Minister Imran Khan left for a four-day visit to China on Thursday, government ministers elaborated on the significance of his trip, saying that it would serve a number of purposes ranging from strategic to economic.

During his visit, the prime minister will attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics 2022 in Beijing and hold bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office, the premier's visit from February 3 to 6 has been scheduled on the Chinese leadership's special invitation. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including members of the cabinet and senior government officials.

Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin said it was a "very important" trip politically and economically.

He added that China would be asked to relocate its industry in Pakistan since special economic zones were all ready and it would be a "win-win situation".

"The prime minister will also [ask] them to help us in our agriculture transformation plan because agriculture holds a very important place for us," Tarin said.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in a statement carried by Radio Pakistan, said that many Chinese companies were "desirous" of investing in Pakistan and the prime minister was expected to meet many of their heads.

He said relations between the two countries had further strengthened and the premier's visit would further expand them and promote high-level exchanges.

Planning Minister Asad Umar said the trip was coming at a "highly important time". A special book had been prepared which would explain why Pakistan was a prime destination for investment and it would be presented to the Chinese leadership, he shared.
"We believe that there will be further swiftness in the pace of Chinese investments in Pakistan," Umar said.


Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry echoed the views, saying that the trip would serve to expand Pakistan-China relations.


Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf stressed the trip's importance in regards to solving the Afghan crisis, explaining that the issue would be discussed during the visit as well.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood said many aspects of trade would be discussed and there were some areas in the free trade agreement which needed to be "improved".

The prime minister's visit will mark the culmination of celebrations commemorating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, with more than 140 events organised to showcase the resilience of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and the unfolding international situation.