Pakistani prime minister hails B2B investment model to boost CPEC 2.0

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that the country welcomes Chinese companies to invest in Pakistan, pledging to create win-win opportunities and inject new momentum into the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) at the second Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference in Beijing.

"This is one of the largest business conferences I have attended, ever since I've visited this great country. It's a reflection of what we always term as ironclad brothers. This friendship between China and Pakistan we have always termed as higher than the Himalayas, and deeper than the deepest oceans, and stronger than steel and iron, and sweeter than honey," said Sharif, adding that the CPEC has made Pakistan self-sufficient in stable electricity supply, a turning point in the country's history.

The day-long B2B investment conference was attended by over 2,000 enterprises from both countries, as China and Pakistan launched the CPEC 2.0, with more focus on B2B investment, agriculture, industrialization, IT, mineral development and special economic zones, since the CPEC 1.0 has laid a solid foundation with infrastructure building. 

"The safety of Chinese citizens is paramount," Sharif said in his speech, as he assured the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan as top priority. During his visit in China, Beijing has expressed its hope for Pakistan to take more solid and effective measures to ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan.

The prime minister also hailed China's remarkable achievements over the past five decades, from becoming the world's second-largest economy to lifting millions out of poverty, and pledged that Pakistan would strive to learn from its success and build a stronger national economy. 

When recalling his first visit to China in 1982, Sharif said that today, China is the second-largest economy and a global military power. "This is the model I want to borrow and replicate in Pakistan," he added.

Building on the momentum of the inaugural edition in Shenzhen, this year's conference stood out for its scale, approach and preparation. Sector-specific pitch books, guidelines, information notes, and online orientation sessions were developed to facilitate precise matchmaking and targeted outcomes, Pakistan's state media Associate Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Friday.