Daily Times

China and Pakistan should join hands, learn from each other’s experience in the field of information technology, strengthen cooperation, jointly drive the development and export of information technology and create a large number of employment opportunities. This was stated by a Chinese expert, Cheng Xizhong, in his article published in China Economic Net (CEN) on Thursday. He said that in today’s world, information technology has become a powerful driving force for the economic and social development of a country.

The Pakistani government attaches great importance to the development of information technology, which is the right choice. The development and export of information technology can drive the development of the whole national economy and significantly increase exports. Cheng said that from 2005 to 2019, the average annual growth rate of China’s IT service trade reached 22.81pc. China has now become the largest exporter of information technology. He said that the ecological environment of information technology in Pakistan has developed rapidly in recent years. Pakistan has more than 2,000 software R&D centres. At present, Pakistan is the fourth largest base for free IT practitioners in the world.

The successful development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has paved the way for the further development of Pakistan’s IT industry. It is predicted that the total value of Pakistan’s IT industry will reach $10 billion by 2025. With regard to the healthy and stable development and exports of information technology, he put forward the following views for the reference: First, the government should create a more favourable tax environment for the IT industry and fully stimulate the potential and vitality of Pakistan’s IT industry. Second, the government should firmly implement stable and inclusive regulatory policies, further improve the investment environment and attract more foreign direct investment, so as to promote the development and export of information technology.

Third, the government should work with the private sector to establish a long-term, healthy and balanced development of the information technology industry. Fourth, it is predicted that by 2023, the market scale of global Internet of things related products will reach trillion US dollars, and this industry has just started in Pakistan. Therefore, the development of information technology in Pakistan should be combined with the internet of things, smart city, “Digital Pakistan Programme”, etc., so as to drive the development and export of information technology. And fifth, the two nations should join hands, learn from each other’s experience in the field of information technology, strengthen cooperation, jointly drive the development and export of information technology and create a large number of employment opportunities.