Chinese firms eye petrol-to-electric bike conversion business in Pakistan

On Tuesday, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah expressed his intent to facilitate private investments from China in Karachi by meeting a delegation of Chinese investors headed by Chairman of the Belt and Road (B&R) Group, Mr. Wan Xiaowu. The meeting of key Sindh officials, including ministers for Planning & Development, Energy, and Local Government, talked over what could be done to enhance partnerships between Chinese companies and the Sindh government.

Chief Minister Shah acceded to direct investment by Chinese public and private companies in projects or public-private partnership with the provincial government. Mr Wan Xiaowu said that more than a dozen of top of the line companies in China are queueing up to invest in Karachi, including using waste for energy generation, extraction of solid as well as liquid from water, desalination plants, electric bus building and making kits of petrol motorbikes into electricity. They also evinced keen interest in the rebuilding of the sewerage system of the city.

The chief minister assured the delegation that the Sindh government would provide all support required to facilitate the setting up of these projects. The parties agreed to set a date for another meeting with the Planning & Development department and the Board of Investment for finalizing the projects and initiating negotiations to expedite implementation.