‘China focuses on energy, transport at Gwadar Port’

LAHORE: Consul General of China in Lahore Yu Boren has said that China is fully focused on the four major areas of Gwadar Port; energy, transport infrastructure and industrial parks.

He was speaking at a seminar on Gwadar Port at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Gwadar has enormous potential from all angles and dimensions for any kind of business activity, whether known or emerging with the ever-developing technologies, Boren said.

He said that the Pakistan government and armed forces deserve appreciation for the fast pace in the completion of the highways of supporting China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that will certainly span the breadth and width of Pakistan and in providing a safe and secure pathway for the economic development in the region.

China Overseas Ports Holding Company Chairman Zhang Baozhong said that the Gwadar Port is the product of long-term China-Pakistan cooperation.

Gwadar Terminal has done a lot of effective and fruitful work, he said, adding: "Last year in May, we have commenced the commercial containerised service from Gwadar; this service is continuously catering to the seafood shipments for Indonesia, China and other Far Eastern countries."

There are also a number of cargo ships berthing in the port, as well as the throughput increased, he said.

The inception of Gwadar Deepsea Port is to further enable economic development of Pakistan over the next decades and beyond, Baozhong said, adding that the global trade is facing challenges and "we had already seen the acquisitions and mergers of big players".

He said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is an overall cooperation platform with a focus on the long-term development of bilateral cooperation in various fields.

“In addition, under the framework of CPEC, the cooperation on agriculture, science and technology, finance, education, cultural and media exchanges is underway”, Chinese Consul General added.

Vice President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry Nasir Saeed said that Gwadar has huge potential to be developed as a gateway to the economy of Pakistan. Its presence at the convergence of three most commercially important regions of the world i.e. Oil Rich Middle East, Central Asia bestowed with natural resources and South Asia has potential for growth, makes it one of the well placed port for the development of global trade.

Other speakers said that Gwadar is the region’s most strategically located port that would be a hub of maritime trade in the whole region. It will attract more investments, which will promote the development of different sectors and contribute to local social economic development, directly or indirectly.

Gwadar is bound to change the faith of Pakistan as it is not only a global distribution center but is also a gateway to China and landlocked countries of the region.