Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday that due to the strong economic fundamentals achieved by Pakistan in the last three years, international investors were keenly interested in investment opportunities.

He stated this at a meeting with a delegation of Chinese private equity investors, led by Hao Tian Group Holdings Limited Chairman Yau Wai Ming and China Huarong International Holdings President Cheng Yan Vice, who called on the finance minister. Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was also present on the occasion.

The finance minister welcomed the delegation and appreciated the interest of Chinese investors in Pakistan. He said that the ongoing projects under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) were stimulating further investment in infrastructure development in Pakistan. The minister emphasised that Pakistan and China had had strong collaboration in developing connectivity in the region.

China Huarong International Holdings Limited Vice President Cheng Yan thanked the finance minister for his warm welcome. She greatly appreciated recent economic progress made by Pakistan.

She briefed the Minister that the delegation was interested in identifying investment opportunities in Pakistan in the fields of infrastructure, finance, petroleum and retail business and they had been preparing draft investment plans keeping in view the investment opportunities offered by his country.

Hao Tian Group Holdings Limited Chairman Yau Wai Ming said that the delegation comprised large asset managers from China and they were interested to invest in Pakistan due to the macroeconomic stability and investment facilitative regime in the country.

The finance minister briefly discussed with the delegation the financial stability achieved by Pakistan during the last three years and steps taken to enhance ease of doing business. He especially mentioned the high performance shown by recently established Pakistan Stock Exchange, which was attracting international investment interest. Dar also said that the Pakistan Development Fund (PDF) would finance commercially viable infrastructure projects in the country and that the government had received interest from IFC of the World Bank, China Development Bank and sovereign investment authorities for equity investment in the PDF.

He also said that the recently upgraded ratings of Pakistan by Standards and Poor’s was an ample proof of the gains, the country had been making in the economic field over a short period of time.

The minister appreciated the interest showed by the delegation in various fields and offered all possible assistance of his team to assist the delegation in identifying best possible opportunities to invest in Pakistan.

The federal secretaries of finance, petroleum and water & power along with the chairmen of Federal Board of Revenue and Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, special assistant (SA) to finance minister and senior officials from the Ministry of Finance attended the meeting.