Karachi: The Chinese government has been requested to review its business visa policy by the Pakistan Soap Manufacturers Association (PSMA) and Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry President Abdullah Zaki.
The request stems from a complex process for obtaining visas to China which are rarely issued for more than three months. Zaki suggested granting multiple visas to the business community for a period of at least one year.
Acknowledging the close relationship between the business communities of the two countries, coupled with excellent trading ties, Zaki lamented the obstacles that Pakistani businessmen have to face when attempting to visit China for exploring trade and investment opportunities.
While commenting on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the PSMA chairman said that extensive avenues of economic cooperation and trade enhancement had been created due to the project.
To realize the full potential of these opportunities, Zaki stated that people to people contact and greater facilitation of businessmen needs to be assured by the two governments.
He laid special emphasis on Chinese authorities paving way for closer interaction and cooperation between the business communities of Pakistan and China by easing the visa issuance process and extending visa duration to one year.
Keeping in view these strong ties between the two countries, Zaki hoped that the Chinese government will pay attention to this request from the collective business community of Pakistan and accordingly issue directives to its Consulates in Pakistan for timely issuance of visas to Pakistani businessmen and industrialists which should be valid for a longer duration of at least one year.
