BEIJING – Chinese e-commerce companies are helping Pakistani young entrepreneurs to expand their businesses across the country. “Our platform could be said to be the Pakistani version of Pinduoduo. As an e-commerce platform targeting price-sensitive users, groceries and daily necessities are within our scope,” Fahad Raja, co-founder of Pakistani e-commerce platform Deal Kart, introduced himself at the EuroAsia Pakistan Digital Economy Forum held in Beijing.
“As a global giant, Pinduoduo has not yet started operations in Pakistan. But that’s not a problem, we are building a Pinduoduo for ourselves.” Raja said that Chinese companies, especially e-commerce companies, are closely related to his career, CEN reported. “In terms of payment, logistics, technology and the like, Chinese companies have attracted global attention, making great achievements. For us from emerging markets, there are too many experiences and even too little time to learn, thus more connections are in urgent need.” Another young entrepreneur, Shahada Salam, mentioned that CPEC ensures the transportation efficiency of Pakistan’s supply chain. “In my country, most of the hardware comes from China, such as biometric equipment needed to solve security issues, thus this corridor is very helpful for the timely supply of hardware and technology products.”
Nowadays, more and more Chinese companies have set up offices in the special economic zone located in my hometown, Islamabad, including manufacturing and supply chain departments. We are also inviting a large number of Chinese technology companies to set up offices there, so that we could better assist them expand their business throughout the country, and then from Pakistan to the Middle East, Europe, Africa… In the future, this will become an amazing ‘digital corridor’. A total of more than 200 representatives from all walks of life in China and Pakistan attended the forum, all of whom looking forward to a more shining digital future that both two countries can benefit from. Addressing on the Global Digital Economy Conference 2024, Shaza Fatima Khwaja, Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication of Pakistan, said that the global landscape has witnessed a digital revolution in recent years, positioning the IT sector as a cornerstone of economic development, innovation, and social transformation. Recognizing the immense potential of this sector, “both Pakistan and China have made substantial strides in harnessing its capabilities”, she added.