CPEC to promote regional connectivity, enhance trade & commerce: Mamnoon

KARACHI, March 15 (APP): President Mamnoon Hussain Wednesday
said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a landmark project that would change the destiny of the region and would emerge as an example at international level.
This would also promote regional connectivity and generate new opportunities for trade and commerce, he said addressing the Participants of the 2nd International IBA CPEC Business and Research Conference held here on Wednesday.
The President said that CPEC would help bring various regions of
the world together and new avenues would be opened for the trade and business.
He also asked the investors to prepare themselves to take full
advantage of the opportunities that would be created in the wake of CPEC.
Mamnoon Hussain also asked the institutions of higher learning as
well as think tanks to devise a future strategy regarding the CPEC so as to fully benefit from this mega project.
Muhammad Zubair, Governor Sindh, Wang Yu, Consul General of the
People’s Republic of China, Dr. Farrukh Iqbal, Dean and Director,
Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi, and researchers and scholars from different countries were also present on the occasion.
The President said that the Second International IBA CPEC
Business and Research Conference under the auspices of ‘my alma mater, Institute of Business Administration’, for progress of Pakistan and the region is a positive initiative.
He hoped that this conference will commence an educational debate
to analyse the opportunities and benefits of China Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC).
Mamnoon Hussain was of the view that such conferences become a
source of guidance towards formulation of better policies and promote cooperation between the Government and private sector paving the way for national progress.
‘It is a trait of vibrant nations that their institutions, particularly academic institutions, promote development projects through their educational activities’, he said adding that the objective behind organizing this conference is research and analyses of CPEC and opportunities emerging out of it.
The President was glad that IBA has brought together researchers
and experts from leading universities of all provinces of the country and Silk Business School of Shanghai University on one platform.
This activity will bring together the relevant sectors of the two
countries expected to capture maximum gains from CPEC and affiliated projects for which he congratulated the organizers and participants of the conference.
He said that this conference held with joint collaboration of IBA
and Silk School of Shanghai University has revived an old memory, when Institute of Business Administration was established with cooperation of Wharton School and University of Southern California.
The President said that he would like that similar cooperation
should be nurtured between IBA and Silk Business School of Shanghai University so that students graduating from these institutions could work not only for progress and prosperity of Pakistan and China, but for the whole region, the way students of IBA rendered significant services in financial institutions around the world including Pakistan.
He hoped that this conference will provide a basis for
partnership between these two excellent educational institutions of
Pakistan and China.
‘As you are aware that CPEC is a landmark project for promoting
regional connectivity and trade which will not only bring different
regions of the world closer but also generate new opportunities for
trade and commerce. It is necessary that we prepare ourselves to
benefit from these opportunities and challenges including
technological innovations in the field of communication and
development of energy and transport infrastructure. We would also
require trained workforce to benefit from these facilities’, the
President remarked.
Mamnoon Hussain said that CPEC will prove to be a milestone such
that after its operationalization the term ‘Before and after the Economic Corridor’ will be used by people to describe the historic change that it will bring. The old methods of doing trade and business will have to change in many areas as the traditional ways of conducting business will not be able to keep up with the new demands of changing times.
He said that in order to meet this challenge, we will have to
prepare business entities and train manpower. There is heavy responsibility on our universities and other educational institutions to prepare relevant refresher courses and literature for traders so that in the emerging new situation a large number of our workforce is not rendered irrelevant.
The President said that after the operationalization of CPEC,
foreigners on a large scale will start visiting Pakistan which will have far reaching social and cultural impact. Social change may lead to uncertainty in societies and rise to multifarious problems. But societies where intellectuals and thinkers deliberate on future challenges and change are better able to cope with them.
‘I would like our universities and thinkers to start thinking on this aspect so that people become aware of the challenges beforehand and are mentally well prepared to face them’, he added.
Mamnoon Hussain stated that he was glad that Silk Business School
of Shanghai is collaborating to arrange this conference and participants will be able to benefit from Chinese experience. We should learn from pervious experiences in order to progress and keep pace with the contemporary world, he added.
He was hopeful that such conferences will continue to be held in
future and scope of its partner institutions will also continue to expand.
The President warmly welcomed the delegates particularly the
guests from foreign countries participating in the conference and hoped that their stay in Pakistan will be productive and comfortable.