Rupee gains 10 paisa against US Dollar
NA Speaker condoles passing of Asma Arbab Alamgir’s father
Ambassador Hashmi attends closing ceremony of Agricultural Training Program in China
BEIJING, July 18 (APP): Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi, attended the closing ceremonies for the first cohort of Pakistani agricultural professionals trained in China under the Prime Minister’s Initiative for Capacity Building of 1,000 Agricultural Professionals. The training took place in the Yangling Hi-Tech Agricultural Demonstration Zone.
The inaugural batch, comprising approximately 300 participants, was enrolled across two Chinese universities and received training in key areas critical to Pakistan’s agricultural development, including smart irrigation, post-harvest loss prevention, animal breeding, and water conservation.
Speaking at both ceremonies, Ambassador Hashmi noted that the event marked more than the conclusion of a training program — it signaled the start of a deeper, more meaningful chapter in Pakistan-China agricultural cooperation.
He emphasized that the graduation of these professionals reflects the two countries’ commitment to implementing the vision set forth by their leadership.
The ambassador expressed hope that the returning professionals would serve as catalysts for innovation and progress, equipped with both technical expertise and the pioneering spirit inspired by Yangling’s agricultural advancements.
APP/asg
Weekly inflation decelerates by 1.61% on year-on-year basis
Upgraded financial supply chain allow both China and Pakistan to play greater role
BEIJING, July. 18 (APP): “In the current environment, the global supply chain has been continuously upgrading digitally, that is, achieving innovative and sustainable development, which is also a major responsibility that we need to shoulder together,” Chief Representative, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Beijing Office, Shaikh Muhammad Shariq said at Supply Chain Services Panel Discussion held during the 3rd China International Supply Chain Expo.
The Chief Representative pointed out that the key link is to provide very complete localized financial services and reduce conflicts between traders, which is crucial for both large leading enterprises and small start-ups.
“The global supply chain need and must take a diversified path, not only for industrial powers like China that support the global supply chain, but also for all countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, and of course Pakistan, which is jointly developing the CPEC.”
When it comes to specific measures for supply chain optimization and innovation, Shariq emphasized the importance of better financing mechanisms and a unified framework.
“The optimized financing mechanism will allow us to have smoother capital flow and reduce our reliance on a single path, helping us to seek better financing strategies.”
The Chief Representative added that a unified framework means unifying standards within this scope, assisting different cultures, concepts, customs, and the like, to communicate more smoothly, which is the premise for all parties to build a global network. Through these measures, various countries could build a more efficient, more resilient and fairer global supply chain network.
Talking specifically about the financial links between China and Pakistan, Shariq elaborated on NBP’s efforts to better integrate into the financial supply chain system between the two countries and the world. “As the national bank of Pakistan, we have branches in 80 countries worldwide. In 1981, we entered the Chinese market and opened a representative office in Beijing. Since then, we have been helping Chinese companies in different fields that are interested in doing business in Pakistan, such as energy, agriculture, e-commerce, digital technology.”
Shariq believes that for small and medium-sized enterprises, liquidity is their backbone in the process of engaging in cross-border business; thus nothing is more important than smooth financial liquidity. “From a deeper perspective, policymakers in China and Pakistan have established very deep connections to simplify all financial-related processes, assisting us to confidently provide comprehensive services in the current complex and changing international environment, solving financial problems, consulting problems, and of course the most important liquidity problem for enterprises. In a nutshell, a very stable supply chain ecosystem allows better cross-border cooperation between our two countries.”
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DPM Dar reviews progress on attracting investment from friendly countries
ISLAMABAD, Jul 18 (APP): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Friday chaired a meeting of the committee tasked with developing a comprehensive investment portfolio to attract investments from friendly countries.
The committee conducted a review of the existing foreign investment landscape and proposed a list of early harvest projects. Discussion focused on identifying strategic areas for collaboration, particularly in the energy, infrastructure, and privatization sectors.
The deputy PM directed relevant stakeholders to identify viable investment opportunities and development initiatives that can foster shared prosperity and support sustainable economic growth.
The meeting was attended by Minister Petroleum, SAPM Tariq Bajwa, Advsior on Privatization, NC SIFC, Chairman WAPDA, Secretaries Petroleum & SIFC, and other senior officials from concerned departments.