The first ever China International Import Expo (CIIE) will be held in the Chinese financial hub of Shanghai on Nov. 5-10, and about 40 businessmen from Pakistan will showcase their products.
China has given Pakistan the status of "Guest of Honor" at the event, and local Pakistani analysts believe that the expo will act as a much-needed platform for Pakistan to display the strongest of its commodities to the outside world.
Arsalan Ayaz, a political analyst associated with Rawalpindi-based think tank Measac Research Centre, told Xinhua that Pakistan would have a great chance to get benefit from the expo as financial experts from across the world are expected to attend the event.
"Pakistan lost its reputation post-9/11, so it is an excellent chance for the country to rebuild its image through this event. A large number of foreign investors will be attending it, so it will be a great chance for the Pakistani government to woo them back to seek investment opportunities in the country," he said.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan will also attend the opening session of the expo. In a meeting with a visiting Chinese delegation headed by Song Tao, chief of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, in Islamabad earlier this month, Khan said the CIIE would provide an opportunity to both sides to look into the export possibilities from Pakistan to China.
Commenting on it, the analyst said Khan's voters have high hopes that he will take useful measures to support the staggering economy, so this is the right time for him to grasp the opportunity and explain his export-friendly policies, and his strategies for trade and economics, through the CIIE.
"If he can seize the opportunity, it will be a landmark achievement for him," Ayaz said.
In a press talk earlier this month, Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing said the CIIE could also play a part to overcome trade imbalance between Pakistan and China. He assured that the Chinese embassy in Islamabad would fully facilitate the Pakistani businessmen to avail the opportunity.
Pakistan's Secretary of Commerce Younus Dagha said that they are looking forward to exporting textile and agriculture products to China through the CIIE. He noted that the Chinese economy was growing and the purchasing power of the people was increasing, so Pakistani products could find a great market there.
Ayaz said that Pakistan is an agro-based country, so Pakistani products like rice and cotton, and other products like leather and textiles have a massive potential in the Chinese market.
"This expo will encourage Pakistani businessmen to go and seek opportunities in the Chinese market, and it will further enhance the bilateral relations and cooperation, and brotherly relations will further be translated into economic cooperation," he said.
The expert said it is not an export expo but an import expo, and China is inviting outside world to invest and bring their products to China.
