ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Wednesday Pakistan plans to issue Panda bonds this year to leverage the Chinese capital market and strengthen its economy.
Panda bonds are issued by foreign governments, companies or institutions through China’s interbank bond market or stock exchanges, with approval from Chinese regulators. Investors typically include Chinese banks, insurance companies, asset managers and institutional investors looking for yuan-denominated, low-risk assets.
Pakistan’s plan to launch these bonds can help diversify its funding sources, reduce reliance on Western markets and boost foreign exchange reserves, especially by attracting investment from Chinese institutions.
The Pakistani finance chief, who is currently in China to attend the four-day Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2025, shared the administration’s plan to issue Panda bonds in an interview with CGTN English, a local news channel.
“I have been advocating and I am very keen that Pakistan, taking advantage of the second largest and the deepest capital market in the world, that we go for an inaugural Panda bond and we issue that,” Aurangzeb said.
“Because Pakistan has done previously many issues in US dollar and the Euro but we haven’t done that in the context of the Chinese capital market,” he added. “So, we are very hopeful that during this calendar year, we will do that.”
Aurangzeb announced in January the government wanted to raise about $200 million from Chinese investors through the issuance of the Panda bonds.
The development followed an upgrade in Pakistan’s sovereign rating by three major credit agencies, with the government aiming to get into the “single-B” category to return to global bond markets to raise funds.
The developments came after the country’s macroeconomic indicators considerably improved following a prolonged economic crisis that brought Pakistan to the verge of a sovereign debt default about two years ago, building massive inflationary pressure in the economy and forcing the government to raise interest rates above 20 percent.
Pakistan’s finance chief announces plans to float Panda bonds in Chinese market this year
https://arab.news/yrcze
Pakistan’s finance chief announces plans to float Panda bonds in Chinese market this year
- Panda bonds are issued by foreign governments through Chinese financial markets
- Pakistan aims to raise about $200 million from Chinese investors by issuing these bonds
Police kill five militants, foil plan to block highway in Pakistan’s southwest
- The militants were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Mastung district of Balochistan
- Search, combing operations are underway to apprehend accomplices of militants who fled the scene
QUETTA: Pakistan’s counterterrorism police on Monday said they had killed five militants, who were planning to block the Quetta–Sibi highway and target security forces, in an intelligence-based operation in the southwestern Balochistan province.
The operation took place in Mastung district when militants affiliated with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) were planning to carry out “subversive activities” against security forces and the public, according to a CTD spokesperson.
CTD received credible intelligence that armed BLA militants had taken positions near Mastung’s Dasht area to block the Quetta–Sibi highway and target security forces and civilian traffic. Acting swiftly on the information, CTD teams moved into the area. The militants opened indiscriminate fire upon sighting CTD personnel.
“During the encounter, five unknown terrorists were shot dead, while other accomplices managed to flee, taking advantage of the rugged and mountainous terrain,” the CTD spokesperson said in a statement.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the site of a separatist insurgency and witnessed a series of high-profile militant attacks last year. In March, the BLA hijacked a passenger train and the siege killed at least 60 people, while in May, a suicide bombing in Khuzdar killed several children on a school bus.
The separatists accuse the central government of stealing their resources to fund development in Punjab. The federal government denies the allegations and says it is working for the uplift of local communities in Balochistan, where China has been building a deep-sea port as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.
Officials found seven hand grenades, five sub-machine guns with live rounds and three motorcycles from the scene, according to the CTD statement.
“Search and combing operations are underway to apprehend the fleeing terrorists and dismantle the remaining network,” it read.
