Chinese Investment Powers Pakistan’s Industrial Progress, Says Scholar

BEIJING: Chinese investment continues to serve as a strong engine for Pakistan’s industrial development, according to Professor Cheng Xizhong, a senior research fellow at the Charhar Institute in Beijing.

His remarks follow a mid October investment promotion campaign in Shanghai led by the chief minister of Sindh. That visit produced 34 memorandums of understanding and cooperation agreements spanning energy, manufacturing, digital technology, agriculture and logistics.

Professor Cheng pointed to a series of Chinese projects now operating in Sindh as evidence of the relationship’s durability. Among them are Shanghai Electric’s Thar power plant, CMEC’s coal mining project, China Three Gorges wind farms, BYD’s expanding automobile business and a joint tyre manufacturing venture. He said these projects have improved the province’s energy mix, created jobs and lifted regional industrial capacity.

The newly signed agreements also mark a shift toward higher value cooperation. Beyond traditional infrastructure and energy, both sides are now looking at artificial intelligence, cloud computing, smart city construction, coal to chemicals and modern agricultural processing.

Professor Cheng said the direction of the partnership shows China and Pakistan moving toward technology oriented and future focused industrial cooperation.