ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi, on Monday held a series of individual meetings and a collective working luncheon with Pakistan’s Honorary Investment Counsellors (HICs) in China to review their performance, strengthen coordination, and set priorities for the year ahead. The meetings were attended by Ma Xiaoli, representing Yuan Jianming, along with Zhang Baozhong, Wang Zihai, and Jian Peng. The Ambassador commended the HICs for their sustained efforts across diverse regions, including the Hong Kong–Macao–Greater Bay Area, Xinjiang, Shandong, and Henan, highlighting their role in promoting trade, investment, and people-to-people linkages. Ambassador Hashmi underscored the importance of aligning HICs’ activities with Pakistan’s national development priorities and urged them to mobilize Chinese investment into export-oriented sectors through joint ventures to enhance productive capacity. Briefing the counsellors on recent progress, he noted that Pakistan has identified 21 priority sectors for investment and is channeling projects through joint ventures integrated with human capital development. He expressed satisfaction over the outcomes of two B2B Investment Conferences held in Shenzhen and Beijing and six sector-specific roadshows organized since last year, which have resulted in the signing of more than 300 memoranda of understanding and 25 joint ventures valued at approximately $11 billion. He added that a high-level follow-up mechanism is in place in Pakistan to facilitate the implementation of these agreements. The Ambassador also shared updates on preparations for the first China-focused Agriculture Investment Conference scheduled for January 19, 2026, in Islamabad, and appreciated the HICs’ efforts to encourage participation by leading Chinese agricultural enterprises. The HICs welcomed the initiative to institutionalize annual reviews and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Pakistan’s economic diplomacy, particularly by increasing Chinese investment in Pakistan and boosting Pakistani exports to China. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025