By Meng Fanrong

CHANGSHA, Sept. 20, (China Economic Net)- Chaudhry Shafay Hussain, Minister for Industries, Commerce and Investment of Punjab province, Pakistan, delivered a keynote speech at the “Hunan Enterprises Going Global: Investment Cooperation Matchmaking Conference” in Changsha on Sept 19, presenting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as a platform for Hunan enterprises and outlining cooperation opportunities in agricultural mechanization, mineral development, manufacturing, and trade and investment.

The matchmaking conference brought together more than 120 government and business representatives from nearly 20 countries and regions, as well as representatives from more than 150 Hunan enterprises, to explore new opportunities for international industrial capacity cooperation and higher-level opening-up.

Chaudhry Shafay Hussain, Minister for Industries, Commerce and Investment of Punjab province, Pakistan, delivers a keynote speech, photo provided to CEN

Loudi City in Hunan and Gujrat in Punjab formally signed a LOI for sister‑city partnership during the 2026 Hunan International Friendship Cities Economic and Trade Exchange Event and Cooperation Dialogue, held in Changsha from Sept 18 to 20 under the theme “Friendship Cities Empower the New Economy, Charting the Future of Business Cooperation,” while the matchmaking is also part of the event.

Minister Shafay, who represented the Pakistani side at the signing, said: “during my two years in this role, this is my sixth visit to China. I have been exploring bilateral trade and investment and have personally visited many factories, inviting key players to invest and establish manufacturing plants in Punjab.”

The 2026 Hunan International Friendship Cities Economic and Trade Exchange Event & Cooperation Dialogue, photo provided to CEN

The minister noted that Punjab accounts for 60 percent of Pakistan’s population and offers opportunities in livestock, with 45 breeds present, as well as tourism, surgical instruments, fan manufacturing, ceramics and handicrafts. He invited Hunan enterprises to invest in the province and set up manufacturing operations there.

Shafay Hussain’s message was underpinned by Hunan’s growing outbound investment footprint. According to provincial figures, Hunan enterprises have invested in 115 countries and regions, with overseas assets exceeding $17 billion. The province has formed eight major strengths in outbound investment and cooperation: agriculture, construction machinery, rail transit, energy and power, biomedicine, light manufacturing, mineral resource development and infrastructure construction.

For Hunan enterprises looking to expand overseas, the industrial and agricultural needs of Punjab, coupled with the CPEC framework and newly formalized sister city relations, provide a practical entry point for cooperation in manufacturing, agricultural machinery and related sectors.

During the free matchmaking session, Pakistani and other international government and business representatives held in-depth discussions with Hunan business representatives, focusing on cooperation intentions in construction machinery, rail transit, energy and power, biomedicine and infrastructure construction, etc.