ISLAMABAD: The first meeting of the Pakistan China Joint Working Group on Information Technology was held in Islamabad on 8th February 2007.

The Chinese Delegation comprised of seventeen members including senior officials of Chinese Ministry of Information Industry and leading executives of  ICT companies of China. The delegation was chaired by Mr. Zhao Wenzhi, Deputy Director General, Foreign Affairs Department of the Ministry of Information Industry.  The Pakistani team was led by Mr. Yusuf Hussain, Managing Director, Pakistan Software Export Board.  The working Group reviewed the current status and future directions of IT industry of both countries. The Chinese IT industry has achieved rapid growth in the last four years with domestic revenue at USD 48 billion.  IT exports and outsourcing in China have also experienced rapid growth and have crossed the billion dollar mark. The Pakistani IT industry has also experienced remarkable growth over the last three years.  Total industry size including global receipts of Pakistan IT companies, domestic revenue, hardware, and  IT services has crossed 2 billion USD.

Leading International IT research firm Gartner Group has forecasted that China will become the leading IT outsourcing country in the near future. Similar views have been expressed about Pakistan by various leading IT research companies. IDC, for example, states: “Pakistan is a rising star offering a surprising new home in South Asia for Outsourced Customer Management” in a report published in July 2006.

The Joint Working Group members believe that collaboration between Pakistan and China in Information Technology will be highly beneficial to both countries and will help them in becoming a world force in IT.

The working Group decided to begin collaboration in three areas:-

a.      IT Trade – where strategies would be formulated to target global markets and also increase trade between the two countries.
b.      Venture Capital Funds – where information would be exchanged on regular basis and a working plan prepared.
c.      IT Parks – where the two countries would collaborate to build world class  IT parks all over Pakistan.

“The brotherly countries of Pakistan and China are poised to become world leaders in IT. We are eager to work closely with Pakistan to our mutual benefit.” said Zhao Wenzhi, on this occasion.

Mr. Yusuf Hussain, MD PSEB said,” China has experienced enormous growth over the last two decades and is poised to become a global IT leader. Pakistan has also shown tremendous economic growth and stability over the last few years. We have some commonalties as well as complementary strengths. Together we can become a potent global force in Information Technology. PSEB will now embark on development of a China Strategy with the help of leading international consultants”