With the support of the Consulate General of Pakistan Hong Kong, Pakistan Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong and founders of PHKTIF organised the First Pakistan Hong Kong Trade and Investment Forum (PHKTIF) in Hong Kong on February 16, 2017 at Hong Kong with its major focus on promoting emerging opportunities created by China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under the Belt and Road initiative.
The Government of Hong Kong SAR also supported the PHKTIF for the event. The HKSAR Belt and Road Office, Invest HK and the Hong Kong Trade and Development Council (HKTDC) helped the Consulate and PHKTIF to reach out to the potential participants. They also used their official insignia/logo for co-branding the conference along with Pakistan Consulate, National Bank of Pakistan and Pakistan Chambers of Commerce.
The Forum was inaugurated by Ms. Yvonne Choi, Commissioner for Belt and Road Office of the Government of Hong Kong SAR and Mr. Masood Khalid, Pakistan’s Ambassador for China.
The PHKTIF was organised keeping in view the increased interest of the business community of Hong Kong in joining the Belt and Road projects in Pakistan. The Forum was attended by 150 representatives of leading companies of Hong Kong and Mainland China from various sectors of economy including trade, energy, manufacturing, finance, infrastructure and services.
In his welcoming remarks, Ambassador Masood Khalid highlighted Pakistan’s economic performance under the current government and invited the Hong Kong business companies to join Belt and Road project. He said that Pakistan offers great opportunities in insurance, port management, health management and real estate where Hong Kong has competitive advantage.
The Commissioner for Belt and Road Miss Yvonne Choi, in her inaugural address, said that Hong Kong’s government was actively engaged with the Belt and Road initiative and supporting its private sector in realising the business opportunities. She appreciated the launch of PHKTIF that she hoped would help businesses from both regions explore trade and investment opportunities.
Consul General Abdul Qadir Memon also spoke and underscored the importance of PHKTIF as platform for economic cooperation. He also updated that the Consulate will be holding regular events under PHKTIF to help private sectors understand trade and investment potential in Pakistan.
Commercial Counsellor Beijing, China Dr. Erfa Iqbal gave a detailed briefing on the CPEC projects in Pakistan under the OBOR initiative.
Other presentations were included the following;
- Opportunities and challenges of China Pakistan Economic Corridor
- Hutchison Ports in Pakistan
- OBOR – Hong Kong – Pakistan
- Regulation on Foreign Companies in Pakistan
- Taxation Laws in Pakistan
- Hong Kong and HKTDC – Your Perfect Partners in Belt & Road
A panel discussion was also held at the Forum which was moderated by the CEO of ANZ Group Hong Kong Mr. Farhan Faruqui. The session focussed on the experience sharing of the Chinese and Hong Kong based companies working inside Pakistan on various projects particularly the CPEC.
