Pakistan has called on Chinese companies to increase investment in its ports, logistics and maritime industries as Islamabad seeks to strengthen its role as a regional trade and transshipment hub connecting Central Asia, the Middle East and international markets, the country’s Maritime Affairs Ministry said Tuesday.
The invitation was made by Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry during a business forum in Beijing, where he promoted investment opportunities in port infrastructure, industrial development and maritime services under Pakistan’s broader efforts to strengthen economic cooperation with China and build on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
“Pakistan’s strategic location positions it as a natural gateway for regional and international trade,” Chaudhry said, according to the ministry.
He said maritime institutions, including the Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim Authority, Gwadar Port Authority and the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, were implementing reforms to develop the country into “a modern maritime, logistics and industrial hub serving regional markets.”
Pakistan has sought to leverage its location at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East to increase transit trade, attract foreign investment and expand its logistics sector. The government has identified the development of ports, transport corridors and related infrastructure as a key component of its economic strategy, with CPEC providing the backbone for many of those projects.
Describing Gwadar Port as a flagship project of CPEC, Chaudhry said it offered investment opportunities in port operations, logistics, warehousing, free zone development and maritime industries.
He invited Chinese enterprises to invest in these sectors and said Pakistan would continue to provide “a transparent and investment-friendly environment” while facilitating long-term partnerships beneficial to both countries.
The minister was addressing the Regional Transit Trade Hub Initiative in Beijing, organized by a Chinese holding company, according to the ministry.
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