KARACHI: A Chinese delegation representing the Beijing Investment Group in association with AKD Securities and He Nan Lv Rui Jin Niu Energy Private Limited visited the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) this morning. This visit was part of their schedule whereby they are meeting with the Exchange and the corporate sector mainstream players to explore business opportunities within the private sector of Pakistan.
The PSX management team extended a warm welcome to the Chinese delegates, AKD representatives and the delegation hosts who are instrumental in inviting and hosting the Chinese team. In line with the tradition of the Exchange to honour guests, the team was escorted to the Trading Hall to “Ring the bell” and announce the market opening.
This was followed by an extensive discussion on diverse opportunities that have cropped up with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiatives going live for the corporate sector of the two countries. The discussion focused on the private sector looking to collaborate and enter into business partnerships and alliances to enhance bilateral investment, trade, development and growth especially in the B2B sector.
The meeting participants included PSX Chairman Sulaiman Mehdi, PSX MD Richard Morin, PSX DMD You Hang, Beijing Investment Group Chairman Feng Qiuyan, CEO Hang Zhang, Assistant to Chairman Peng Li, Overseas Marketing Executive Lihan Zhong, AKD Securities Limited FCA CEO Farid Alam, CPP Global (Pvt.) Director Finance Mujeeb-ul-Haq, and Director Finance Dr Waqar Ali Khan, Col. Zarrar Razzaque (r) – CEO CPP Global (Pvt.) Limited.
The topics under discussion revolved around listed companies being a good choice for investment, which can be taken as a starting point for the business opportunity; along with these, budding businesses and Potential IPOs are also seen as a lucrative area. The team showed interest in companies poised for listing in various sectors including but not limited to the Oil and Gas sector, Hospitality Industry, Real estate, and Healthcare industries.
An overview of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the Chinese investment and the future plans of the Exchange and Chinese Consortium were given. Discussion centered around investments, scalability and development of the Private Sector companies. These included Agriculture, Water, Tourism and Hospitality along with Oil and Gas Sector. The team was briefed on why and how various Chinese firms have started investing in Pakistan while others have acquired flourishing businesses like Ali Baba and Ant Financial, the e-commerce giant and the largest fintech invested in Daraz, whereas Zong Pakistan, is another brilliant example of the Chinese interests which is among the top three telecommunication companies in Pakistan. PSX itself has 40 per cent Chinese stake in its ownership.
The delegates mentioned that they are looking into various sectors like the agriculture industry which has a huge potential for growth – soybean and sugar present a good business prospect other than Oil and Gas, hospitality etc.
PSX offered to identify various potential corporates and sectors on an ongoing basis to the Group for their interests and facilitate them to explore and initiate business. The delegation inquired about the regulatory framework and also the potential and risks that Pakistan’s economy presents to the foreign investors. They also expressed concerns over possible risks and profitability of their investments. PSX offered to play their role in the effort to provide a conducive investment environment to the potential investors.
