ISLAMABAD: Chinese President Xi Jinping today visited Pakistan Pavilion at China International Import Expo in Shanghai and took great interest in the products of Pakistan displayed at the pavilion.

The Chinese President was received at Pakistan Pavilion by Prime Minister Imran Khan, members of the Cabinet and Chief Minister Balochistan.
President Xi, who accompanied by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, was briefed by Secretary Commerce Mohammad Younus Dagha, a press release issued by the PM Media Office here said.
Dagha briefed the dignitaries about the theme of the Pavilion which represented five important trade sectors of Pakistan.
He informed that Textiles and Apparels employ 38% of the industrial workforce with 8.5% share in GDP and make up for more than 70% of Pakistani exports with leather and made-ups, for many international brands.
The fastest growth has been in the garments sector which provides jobs to female workers.
He told that Pakistan has the privilege of not only having the world-renowned sportsmen but also have the distinction of competing in quality and winning the contracts for the supply of sports goods for top brands and prestigious events.
The last two FIFA world cups including the one this year in Russia were played with Pakistan made footballs. He said that with the marvelous archeological sites of the world’s oldest civilization in the south and the meeting point of the three majestic mountain ranges known as “the roof of the world” in the north, the tourism sector in Pakistan offers unlimited opportunities for the hospitality sector investors.
Many production deficiencies have been met in the past decades not only turning the country into self-sufficiency but also producing an exportable surplus. Sugar, fertilizer, cement, pharmaceuticals, home appliances, electrical goods, and auto-parts are now taking shares in our exports.
The new government was improving the policy framework to attract more investments in the manufacturing sector to increase the country’s capacity to export.
He told them while Pakistan was exporting the aromatic Basmati rice, the most delicious mangoes and juiciest of mandarins in more than 70 countries, the storage, processing, and preservation were the areas where joint ventures and knowledge transfers could bring rapid gains.
Pakistan had one of the smallest carbon footprints (the sixth largest population with only 0.4% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions), still it was playing a larger role by first completing the project of one billion tree plantations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province under the leadership of the Prime Minister during the past few years and now planning for ten billion tree plantations during the next five years.
Prime Minister Imran Khan explained the environment-friendly policy and initiatives of the government. Dagha said that the vision of President Xi Jinping, the Belt and Road Initiative, had opened new avenues for the two brotherly countries for mutual cooperation.
President Xi appreciated the Prime Minister’s interest in the improvement of the environment and extended his country’s support for the initiative. He also congratulated the Prime Minister on his successful visit.