Xinjiang delegation offers Lahore joint ventures in textiles and farming

A delegation from China's Xinjiang region has invited Pakistani companies to set up joint ventures in agriculture, textiles, food processing, livestock and manufacturing, saying government-level agreements only pay off when private firms turn them into practical projects.

The offer came at a meeting with the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), where the two sides discussed business-to-business links, technology transfer, cross-border e-commerce, tourism and regional connectivity.

Ha Zengyou, who led the delegation, said the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) and Lahore had industrial strengths and supply chains that complemented each other. He set out four priority areas: agriculture and food processing, textiles, new trade channels, and connectivity and infrastructure.

Pakistan had strong potential in fruits, vegetables, seafood, berries and nuts, he said, while the XPCC could offer expertise in modern cultivation, livestock, processing and cold-chain facilities. He pointed to Pakistan's cotton spinning and weaving and to Xinjiang's integrated textile industry as a basis for closer industrial links, and said the XPCC would help Pakistani businesses understand Chinese policies, customs and taxation procedures.

LCCI President Ali Hussam Asghar said the two countries' long friendship needed to be converted into investment and business partnerships. He named water-efficient farming, cotton productivity, food processing, packaging, cold-chain facilities and halal meat production as promising areas for joint ventures, and invited Chinese investors to look at Punjab's industrial estates and the CPEC Special Economic Zones, citing the province's skilled workforce and market access.

LCCI Senior Vice President Sardar Usman Ghani proposed a Chinatown in Lahore, with security arrangements and the facilities Chinese professionals, investors and businesses would need.

Former LCCI president Shahzad Ali Malik said Pakistan should draw on Xinjiang's expertise in cotton cultivation, seed development and irrigation. He said national cotton output had fallen from a historical level of about 15 million bales to 5-6 million bales, forcing the country to import cotton from the United States and Brazil.

At the same venue, Ethiopia's ambassador to Pakistan, Dr Oumer Hussien Oba, invited Pakistani businesses to invest in his country, describing it as a gateway to African markets. He cited competitive energy costs, industrial infrastructure and investment incentives, and said Ethiopia, with a population of more than 130 million, offered opportunities in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and textiles. He said more sectors were opening to foreign investment and that efforts were under way to address regulatory problems faced by Pakistani pharmaceutical companies.