Azeem Ahmed Khan

The Pakistan-China Investment Conference has given fresh momentum to bilateral business ties, attracting strong interest from Chinese agricultural companies alongside broad participation from Pakistan’s private sector, a business leader said.

Bilal Janjua, Vice President of the Pakistan-China Commerce Alliance International, said the conference builds on extensive business-to-business engagements held during the prime minister’s recent visit to China, when several Chinese agricultural firms expressed interest in Pakistan.

“The Chinese participants were invited back and organised sector-wise for focused engagement,” Bilal told Wealth Pakistan on the sidelines of the conference. “Groups from different sectors are here to study Pakistan’s economy, agriculture and ease of doing business. The B2B meetings taking place are a very good start.”

He said more than 50 Chinese companies were expected to formalise engagement, while over 300 Pakistani firms were participating, reflecting the depth and diversity of Pakistan’s agricultural ecosystem. Participants span the full value chain, including soil management, farm mechanisation, seeds, fertilisers, packaging and cold-chain logistics, along with subsectors such as tea, dairy and meat.

“All agricultural sectors are represented here,” Bilal, who is also chairman of China (Pvt) Limited, said, adding that the breadth of participation underscored agriculture’s growing role as a pillar of Pakistan-China economic cooperation.

Outlining existing trade, Bilal said Pakistan’s current agricultural exports to China include sesame seeds, seafood, broken rice, biomass materials, fruits, including mangoes, and dry fruits. He noted that the combined value of these exports is only slightly above $1 billion, describing the sector as underserved despite substantial room for expansion.

He identified aquaculture and shrimp farming as areas with particularly strong potential, saying exports from these segments alone could exceed $1 billion if developed properly with targeted government support. Processed meat, he added, also carries the potential to generate exports worth over $1 billion.

Unlocking this potential would require improvements across the export chain, including better packaging, compliance with Chinese quality and quarantine standards, and stronger logistics linkages, Bilal said. He stressed the importance of meeting China Inspection and Quarantine certification requirements to ensure smooth market access, alongside faster processing of agricultural exports to reduce delays.

He added that enhanced logistics efficiency, expanded cold-chain storage and transport, and stronger air-cargo connectivity would be critical to preserving quality, lowering costs and enabling Pakistani products to compete effectively in the Chinese market.

Describing the conference as “the right step in the right direction,” Bilal said that while tangible outcomes would take time, the platform has created a structured pathway for sustained engagement between businesses on both sides. He urged Pakistan to sharpen its export focus and adopt clearer objectives for accessing the Chinese market, calling for an annual agricultural export target of $5 billion.

“At the moment, exports are very limited,” he said, noting that shipments have largely been confined to a narrow range of products. “Beyond that, there is scope to export fruits and other value-added items. Our mangoes were exported earlier, but there has been a break.”

Bilal said expanding agricultural exports would help reposition Pakistan from a consumption-oriented market to an export-driven agricultural economy, accelerating growth across related industries. Describing China as a vast market sourcing products globally, he said Pakistan has yet to fully capitalise on its geographic proximity and logistical advantage.

“We are neighbours and have the shortest route, yet China is buying more from others than from us,” he said. “If we have lagged behind, it is because we were not aggressive enough.”

Expressing optimism, Bilal said the government’s initiative to convene sector-focused engagement could help Pakistan gain traction in the Chinese market, adding that sustained dialogue and B2B interaction would be critical to translating interest into long-term trade and investment gains.

Credit: INP-WealthPk