Haroon Akhtar invites Chinese companies for joint innovation, manufacturing

ISLAMABAD, Jul 17 (APP): Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Industries and Production, Haroon Akhtar Khan on Friday invited Chinese companies to not only invest in Pakistan but also innovate, manufacture and grow together.

Addressing the Pakistan-China Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Business-to-Business (B2B) Investment Conference, Haroon Akhtar said Pakistan envisioned a new era of cooperation with China where both countries would jointly advance science, strengthen healthcare, create opportunities and improve the lives of millions of people.

He said every great nation was transformed by leaders who refused to accept the limits of the present and possessed the courage to shape the future by turning vision into action and ambition into national progress.

Paying tribute to Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, the SAPM said Pakistan was fortunate to have visionary leadership that consistently encouraged institutions to think bigger, move faster and compete globally.

He said the prime minister had made it clear that Pakistan could not achieve sustainable prosperity by following outdated models and must instead embrace innovation, strengthen its industrial base, invest in science and technology, and build partnerships capable of unlocking the country’s full potential.

Haroon Akhtar said Pakistan was determined not merely to participate in the industries of the future but to help shape them. He added that the prime minister’s recent visit to China had opened a new chapter in Pakistan-China economic cooperation by creating fresh opportunities for investment, technology transfer and industrial collaboration.

He said the prime minister’s emphasis on implementation reflected true leadership, adding that success should be measured not by the agreements signed but by the transformation delivered.

Highlighting China’s remarkable development, Haroon Akhtar described the country’s transformation as one of the defining development stories of modern times, driven by visionary leadership, long-term planning and relentless innovation in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and healthcare.

He said Pakistan greatly valued China’s experience and looked forward to expanding cooperation in research, technology transfer, innovation and high-value manufacturing.

The SAPM said the government was creating an investment-friendly environment through the National Industrial Policy, National Tariff Policy and the Regulatory Guillotine Initiative to strengthen industrial competitiveness, simplify regulations and make Pakistan a more attractive destination for investors.

“Our objective is simple-less bureaucracy, more facilitation; less complexity and more competitiveness,” he said.

Haroon Akhtar said healthcare had become one of the world’s most important drivers of innovation, industrial growth and economic resilience, while the COVID-19 pandemic had underscored that the ability to produce medicines, vaccines and medical technologies was a strategic necessity.

He said Pakistan had therefore placed pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and vaccine manufacturing among its highest industrial priorities, adding that the National Vaccine Policy would strengthen local manufacturing, promote technology transfer, encourage research collaboration and help build a resilient healthcare ecosystem capable of serving Pakistan and the wider region.

Later, addressing a press conference along with Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Mustafa Kamal, the SAPM said growing participation by Chinese investors and the signing of new investment agreements demonstrated increasing international confidence in Pakistan’s economy.

He said, more than 300 Chinese delegates and over 350 Pakistani businessmen participated in the forum, describing it as evidence of expanding bilateral economic engagement.

He said recent visits by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Beijing and Hangzhou resulted in agreements covering information technology, mobile phone manufacturing and battery energy storage systems, including a cooperation agreement with Alibaba.

The official added that around 700 to 800 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and agreements were currently under process with China, with 30 to 35 percent already moving into implementation within the past seven to eight months.

He claimed fresh agreements worth US$ 500 million were signed at the event, while MoUs worth billions of dollars were expected to follow.

Highlighting Pakistan’s macroeconomic stability and business-friendly policies, the official said Chinese companies were increasingly interested in establishing manufacturing facilities in Pakistan, positioning the country as a future regional manufacturing hub.