Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has emphasized the need to bolster Pak-China friendship in diverse sectors including agriculture, mines and minerals, information technology and infrastructure.

He was addressing a meeting with the representatives of foreign business companies working in Pakistan, including a large number of Chinese businesspersons.

Terming Pak-China friendship higher than Himalayas and touching new heights, he said it is a welcoming sign that such a large number of Chinese investors are visiting Pakistan to identify new business ventures in various fields.

Shehbaz Sharif said the Pakistan’s economy relies largely on agriculture and it is time that we exploit this sector to its full potential and start new ventures in value added services.

He said our sixty percent population resides in rural areas and earns their living through various facets of the agriculture sector which need to be modernized and enhanced.

Referencing his recent visit to the Chinese Agriculture and Research Centre, the Prime Minister said he was awestruck by the size and capacity of the centre.

He informed that the government has decided to send one thousand Pakistani students to attend refresher courses in agriculture and learn modern techniques and practices. 

The Prime Minister said we are aiming to increase our agriculture export to an additional seven billion dollars.

He said China can be our great partner in this venture and we believe this target can be achieved if both the countries work together and assist each other.

Referencing to China Pakistan Economic Corridor, Shehbaz Sharif said that the phase 2 of CPEC will start soon and will be based on Business-to-Business (B2B) arrangements in the fields of agriculture information technology besides others.

He encouraged the representatives of various companies to enter into B2B agreements to get the full benefit of this project and be a part of CPEC.