Economic coop with Pakistan to grow: Hu
Bureau Report

LAHORE—Chinese President Hu Jintao Sunday said that the strategic partnership between China and Pakistan was growing through increased economic cooperation. “China attaches great importance to economic relations with Pakistan,” he said while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Haier-Ruba Economic Zone at Haier plant in Manga Mandi, some 40 kilometres off here.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Punjab Governor, Lt. Gen (rtd) Khalid Maqbool, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Muhammad Ali Durrani, Federal Minister for Privatisation and Investment, Zahid Hamid, Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan, Chairman Pak-US Business Council and former President of FPCCI, Iftikhar Ali Malik, senior officials and leading businessmen and industrialists were present at the ceremony.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said that we in Pakistan are also leveraging our geo-strategic location and developing a network of infrastructure to create multiple corridors of regional co-operation in energy, trade, transportation, tourism and people-to-people contacts. He said we are keen to share with our Chinese friends the advantages accruing from such linkages and complementarities.
He said Pakistan is open for business and over 600 multi- national companies are already profitably operating in Pakistan. He said with a population of 160 million people and a growing middle class, Pakistan is the most profitable part of their franchise and we will welcome Chinese businessmen to invest in any sector and benefit from our economic growth coupled with dynamism.
He said China has always generously contributed towards our national development efforts and we highly value their assistance that has strengthened our security and development. He said that agreements singed during the visit of President Hu Jintao including those between our private sectors, will further cement our mutually beneficial relations.
Shaukat Aziz said that the inauguration of Pakistan Haier and Ruba Economic Zone is another milestone of economic co- operation between the private sectors of the both countries. He said we are grateful to the Chinese government for supporting this first ever initiative of its kind overseas.
He said we welcome this initiative and our government will provide the necessary facilitation and incentives to support and replicate it in different parts of the country.He said “let me also appreciate the contribution made by the Ruba Group, which have made substantial investments in the country and acted as a bridge between the private sectors of Pakistan and China.
Prime Minister said that let me conclude by thanking his excellency President Hu Jintao for joining us today on this landmark event.”I am confident that the governments and the private sectors of our two countries will continue to collaborate for mutual benefit and thereby contribute towards the further strengthening of Pakistan-China friendship.”