https://arab.news/z4t38
- The developments came during President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to China, which began on Sept. 12
- Zardari says the agreements will directly support Pakistan’s economic growth and public welfare
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Chinese enterprises have signed multiple memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for the establishment of a textile industrial park, supply of advanced emergency equipment and to modernize livestock sector in Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari’s office said on Friday, following the signing ceremony.
The first agreement was signed between Loyang Modern Biotechnologies and the Government of Sindh, which focuses on modernizing Pakistan’s livestock industry, according to the president’s office. The second MoU was signed between Beijing Asian Africa Longyue and ASM Services for the promotion and construction of a modern textile industrial park in Pakistan.
The third agreement, between Sichuan Chuanxiao Fire Trucks Manufacturing Company and ASM Services, set out a framework for cooperation in supply, distribution, sales and after-sale services of fire trucks and advanced emergency equipment for Pakistan. The signing of agreements was overseen by President Zardari during his visit to Urumqi in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
The Pakistani president said the agreements would open new avenues of cooperation between Pakistan and China in sectors that directly support Pakistan’s economic growth and public welfare, according to a statement issued from his office.
“Modernizing the livestock industry will help improve food security and create job opportunities in rural areas, the textile park will boost industrial development and exports, while the partnership on fire trucks and emergency equipment will strengthen Pakistan’s capacity to respond to disasters and protect communities,” he was quoted as saying.
Beijing is Pakistan’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade topping $25 billion in recent years, while Chinese firms have also invested heavily in Pakistan’s power, transport, infrastructure, telecommunication and other projects.
The developments came during President Zardari’s ten-day visit to China, which began on Sept. 12. He has since had a number of engagements with Chinese political and business figures, aimed at further strengthening ties between the two countries.
Both sides this week signed multiple agreements to strengthen cooperation in agriculture, environmental protection and mass transit.
Zardari earlier met Chen Xiaojiang, the Communist Party secretary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in Urumqi, wherein the president reaffirmed Pakistan-China friendship as the cornerstone of Islamabad’s foreign policy.
“Pakistan and China will increase cooperation in the fields of agriculture, industry, minerals and new technology,” he said.