Pakistan offers ‘all possible’ utility, tax incentives to attract more Chinese investment

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed authorities to take “all possible” measures to provide land, electricity and gas connections as well as tax incentives to attract more Chinese companies to invest in the special economic zones (SEZs) in Pakistan, his office said on Monday. 
The directives were issued at a meeting PM Khan presided over in Islamabad on facilitating Chinese investors in Pakistani SEZs. It was attended by China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong, Pakistani Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, Planning Minister Asad Umar, PM’s aide on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Khalid Mansoor and other officials. 
The development comes after PM Khan’s assurance to several Chinese business leaders last month that he would hold monthly meetings to “review progress regarding issues faced by Chinese investors.” 
“Pakistan needs investment to accelerate industrialization,” he told participants of Monday’s meeting in Islamabad. “It is critical to create maximum employment opportunities for our growing population, 65 percent of which is under the age of 35.” 
The attendees were informed that out of a total of 27 SEZs in Pakistan, work on five industrial zones in Sindh’s Dhabeji, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Rashakai, Bostan in Balochistan, Allama Iqbal Industrial City in Punjab and Balochistan’s Gwadar was in full swing. 
“An effective one-window operation facility is being set up at each of these SEZs and a facilitation center in the CPEC Authority to resolve all issues of potential Chinese investors under one roof,” the PM’s office said in a statement. 
In a Twitter post, Chinese Ambassador Nong said a successful webinar, titled “Political Economy of Pakistan and Business Environment,” had attracted nearly 200 participants from Chinese companies on Sunday. 
“It has enhanced mutual understanding and strengthened their confidence in a win-win cooperation between Chinese and Pakistani business communities,” he said.