Four CPEC SEZs set to become functional: PM’s aide on CPEC

Islamabad: Four Special Economic Zones (SEZs) under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are set to become functional soon, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on CPEC Khalid Mansoor said.

During a meeting hosted here by the CPEC Authority for the Chinese companies working in Pakistan, he maintained that work on four of the total nine SEZs along with Gwadar Free Zone under the CPEC was at an advanced stage.

“The investors have started to populate the SEZs. Pakistan offers regionally competitive incentives in SEZs, including 10 years’ income tax exemption and exemption of Customs duty on the import of capital goods. The CPEC Authority is setting up a facilitation center for investors,” he added.

Khalid Mansoor briefed the participants on the latest developments regarding CPEC and said that the Phase-II of CPEC was aimed at enhancing the bilateral cooperation in industrial, technological and agricultural sectors.

The business-to-business collaboration would be a hallmark of this phase of CPEC, he mentioned.

Ambassador of China to Pakistan Nong Rong, on the occasion, expressed appreciation for the event, which brought together all the Chinese companies.

The Chinese enterprises will work closely with the CPEC Authority to increase their business and investment activities in Pakistan, he added.

Earlier, Pakistani Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar encouraged the Chinese investors to explore more investment opportunities in industrial, agricultural and information technology areas under the umbrella of the CPEC.

He remarked that due to special relationship between Pakistan and China, the government and people of Pakistan would wish to see much greater investment from China.

He solicited the support of Chinese companies working in Pakistan to attract more foreign direct investment from China in the country.

The Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of various companies also spoke on the occasion and presented their ideas and suggestions for consideration by the government.

The Board of Investment (BoI) chairman Azfar Ahsan and representatives of over 70 Chinese companies attended the meeting, while a number of companies joined it through video-links.