Pakpattan Chamber delegation explores Chinese partnerships during visit to PCJCCI

Gwadar Pro

LAHORE, August 7: Aiming to foster regional economic collaboration and deepen ties with Chinese investors, a high-level delegation from the Pakpattan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) visited the headquarters of the Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) in Lahore on Wednesday afternoon.

The delegation, led by PCCI President Dewan Muhammad Azmat Mehmood Chishti, included senior members Tanveer Ather Hussain Bukhari and Khalid Raffique Chaudhry. The visit underscored Pakpattan’s strategic intent to become an active participant in the broader framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) by inviting Chinese engagement in its growing regional economy.

Welcoming the delegation, Zafar Iqbal, Acting President of PCJCCI, emphasized the chamber’s commitment to extend its collaborative network beyond Pakistan’s major urban centers and tap into the economic potential of underrepresented regions such as Pakpattan.

“We see great promise in Pakpattan’s evolving SME landscape and its agricultural richness,” he said. “Our goal is to enable targeted collaboration through training programs, technology exchange, and project-specific investment linkages between Chinese firms and regional businesses.”

Highlighting Pakpattan’s economic profile, President Chishti noted the city’s core strengths in agriculture, food processing, and the textile value chain. “Pakpattan’s agri-based economy, particularly in wheat, rice, cotton, and dairy sectors, offers viable grounds for joint ventures in agro-technology, value-added processing, and food packaging,” he said.

Khalid Raffique Chaudhry further proposed the launch of joint capacity-building programs for local entrepreneurs, especially in product development, export readiness, and understanding Chinese business protocols. He also suggested initiating pilot projects with Chinese collaboration, including cold storage units, drip irrigation systems, and small-scale textile manufacturing using Chinese equipment and expertise.

Salahuddin Hanif, Secretary General of PCJCCI, floated the idea of hosting a dedicated “Pakpattan-China Investment Roundtable” under the Chamber’s platform. The event would target Chinese companies interested in agri-tech, rural industrial development, and textile machinery, providing them a direct channel to interact with stakeholders from Pakpattan.

Both chambers reached consensus on a series of collaborative initiatives, including entrepreneur training workshops, industry-specific matchmaking events, and co-development of proposals to attract Chinese investment into South Punjab’s agro-industrial and light engineering sectors.

The visit concluded with a renewed commitment to expand regional inclusion in PCJCCI-led activities, and a shared vision to transform Pakpattan into a model district for Sino-Pak economic integration at the grassroots level.