By Muhammad Majid Khan,
BEIJING: Pakistan joined the China Yiwu International Commodities (Standards) Fair, hoping that it would help the country’s businessmen to find out new business opportunities abroad.
Noted Pakistani businessmen Syed Ummar Ali Bukhar settled in Yiwu over years represented the country at the fair. In his address on the occasion, he said the event holds key importance as it will introduce the Pakistani businessmen with new products and technologies emerging at global level.
Pakistan is integral part of Belt and Road Project and China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a mega project which has open new avenues and enhanced trade activities and opportunities in Pakistan. International community should also support the project, he urged.
The fair was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Commerce and the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Vice-Governor of Zhejiang Province Mr. Wang Wenxu had said that on behalf of Zhejiang Administration for Industry and Commerce, I hereby take this opportunity to extend warm congratulations on the holding of the fair, warm and sincere welcome to leaders, friends from all circles, travelling merchants inside and outside the province and media friends present at this opening ceremony, and heartfelt thanks to the hard work of the organizing committee.
Vice President of international Chinese Company YXE Stanley Fang speaking on the occasion said that Pakistan is time-tested friend of Pakistan but due to delay in construction of railway track, the trade activities with Pakistan can’t been started as they were expected. Completion of basic structure including completion of railway track will help in further enhancing the bilateral trade both for Pakistani and Chinese companies, he added.
Stanley Fang further said that Pakistan is an important market for China and Belt and Road initiative was aimed at connecting all the countries of region.
It is worth mentioning here that this year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up and the 15th anniversary of the double-eight strategy(develop eight areas with eight measures). From “wherever there is a market, there would be Zhejiang merchants” to “wherever there are Zhejiang merchants, there would be a market”, having led the country after growing out of nothing and becoming increasingly powerful, Zhejiang-merchant-based market is a benchmark for the growth of China’s commodity market.
Last year, the total turnover of the commodity market (including online market) of Zhejiang reached 5.85 trillion Yuan. In particular, a number of producing markets represented by Yiwu Small Commodity Mart have been important powers for supporting the high-level development of regional economy.