A commercial officer from the US Commercial Services Stephen P Knode paid a visit to the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) here on Tuesday. During his meeting with President RCCI Raja Amer Iqbal, Knode said that the United States is committed to improving trade and investment ties with Pakistan as both the countries have a good potential to establish business partnerships.
“We want to improve our bilateral trade relationship and look forward for partners with a prime objective of economic engagement,” he added. The commercial officer appreciated RCCI’s role in promoting business activities and trade relations by holding exhibitions inside and outside the country. He invited the business community to attend SelectUSA investment summit to be held on June 18-20, 2017. There are great opportunities for small and medium size companies as representatives from more than 45 states would be participating in the summit, he added. I have seen a lot of positive things and I will encourage the US companies to take benefit of prospective opportunities in Pakistan, he said. Referring to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Stephen Knode said that this will help Pakistan to improve its infrastructure and regional connectivity.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Raja Amer Iqbal said that bilateral trade between Pakistan and USA is far less than what the real potential of both the countries has to offer. He said both the countries should focus on frequent exchange of trade delegations to improve two-way trade. Businesses to business (B2B) meetings are very important to understand each other’s requirements. The US should promote trade with Pakistan, which is the best way to strengthen Pakistan’s economy, he further added.
RCCI President said that $51 billion CPEC project is a part of the $1465 Billion One Belt One Road (OBOR) project. Pakistan’s economic outlook offered a promising future and urged that more US investors should explore Pakistan for joint ventures and investment in energy, pharmaceutical, infrastructure development and other sectors. Business community believed that CPEC should not be centric or inclined to any specific country. It offered great regional connectivity and integration from South Asia to Central Asian countries and beyond. A short briefing was also given to the commercial officer on RCCI’s current and future programmes. Senior vice President Rashid Waen, Vice President Asim Malik, chamber members and Secretary General Irfan Manan was also present on the occasion.
