Photo shows the launching ceremony of Gwadar Pro, an application that links Gwadar with the rest of the world, during the opening ceremony of the Gwadar Expo 2019 in Gwadar Free Zone, Balochistan of Pakistan, on March 28, 2019. Organized by COPHC, the Gwadar Expo 2019 kicked off in Gwadar Free Zone Thursday, attracting over 100 international companies as exhibitors. (Gwadar Pro/Ji Xiaoping)

GWADAR, Pakistan, March 29 (China Economic Net) -- The Gwadar Expo 2019 kicked off in Gwadar Free Zone on March 28, 2019, attracting over 100 international companies as exhibitors. As a significant platform for Gwadar Smart City, Gwadar Pro, an application that links Gwadar with the rest of the world, was launched at the opening ceremony.

Pakistani Minister of Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi, Counsel General of Chinese Consulate in Karachi Wang Yu, Chairman of the China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) Zhang Baozhong and Chairman of Gwadar Port Authority Naseer Khan Kashani attended the opening ceremony and the launching ceremony of Gwadar Pro. Tian Zheyi, a senior official from the State Council Information Office of China, Muhammad Aurangzeb, President and CEO of Habib Bank Limited (HBL), and Cui Jun, chief editor of China Economic Net also attended the opening ceremony.

On the occasion, Chairman of COPHC, Zhang Baozhong said as compared to the first Gwadar Expo which was held last year, the majority of the exhibitors and participants of this expo are well-known companies specialized in different sectors, including agriculture, fishery, logistics, textile, food and stone processing,

Addressing at the opening ceremony, Wang Yu, Counsel General of Chinese Consulate in Karachi, said this is the sixth year of the Chinese side that has taken over the Gwadar Port. Since 2013, Chinese companies, especially COPHC and their employees have overcome various objective difficulties, spared no efforts to complete the recovery of Gwadar port and the construction of the initial area of Gwadar Free Zone. On this foundation, a number of Chinese and Pakistani enterprises have come to invest and do business in Gwadar. These endeavors have made great contributions to the job creation as well as the economic development of Gwadar. Furthermore, the Chinese side attaches great importance to improve people's livelihood in Balochistan. The newly established livelihood working group under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will focus on supporting the projects that aims to improve the living standards of the Balochi people.

He further noted that he was also pleasure to witness the launch of Gwadar Pro, an application that links Gwadar with the rest of the world. As it is said in the slogan – “Better Port, Better Future”, he hoped that with the support of fiends, Gwadar Pro will become a significant platform for Gwadar Smart City by further improving its service and functions while further enhancing its impact.