CM invites China to set up industrial units in KP

NOWSHERA: Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Thursday invited the Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong to establish industrial units in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, both agreed to enhance cooperation between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and China in multiple fields.

The offer was made as the Chinese ambassador met with the chief minister at the Rashakai Special Economic Zone.

They discussed investment opportunities in various sectors, including agriculture, energy, and mines and minerals. Senior officials from the KP government and the Chinese Embassy were present during the meeting.

Gandapur invited the Chinese envoy to set up industrial units in KP for solar systems manufacturing, value addition and finishing of minerals.

“Vast investment opportunities are available in sectors such as mines, energy and power in the province,” the chief minister told the Chinese ambassador, assuring that the KP government would welcome Chinese investment in the province by extending full support to investors.

Gandapur said the KP government was working to provide industries with various incentives, including cheaper electricity.

He said that ongoing hydropower projects were expected to generate 800 megawatts of electricity by 2028, and a provincial transmission line was being laid to supply industries with electricity at cheaper rates.

The chief minister said the KP government was working on clean and green energy initiatives. In this context, a total of 130,000 deserving households are being provided with free of cost solar systems, and to 50 percent of them at subsidized rates, and on easy installments.

Enlisting the KP government measures, he said that a special mining company had been established to ensure the efficient utilization of mineral resources, aiming to maximize benefits from these resources.

Of the people-friendly initiatives of the KP government, the Gandapur said under the Sehat Card Programme, 100 per cent of the population in KP was being provided with free medical treatment facilities, while work was also underway to launch a life insurance scheme for the province’s citizens.

The chief minister said the KP government was providing interest-free loans worth Rs 15 billion to youth to establish their businesses, adding that for promoting homestay tourism, additional Rs 4 billion would be extended to citizens as interest-free loans.

The Chinese ambassador assured enhanced cooperation in various sectors. He praised the KP government’s initiatives to increase revenue and improve the welfare of the deserving people.

The envoy hoped the cooperation between China and Pakistan would strengthen the friendly relations between the two countries.