Silkroad Employers Cooperation Association to be set up under BRI and CPEC

“International Research Center for Neo China Socialism desires to work with Employers Federation of Pakistan and Employers Federation of Ceylon on three joint initiatives to achieve the vision of Chinese President Xi Jinping to promote the micro Belt & Road Initiative along with the already established mega Belt & Road Initiative”.

This was stated by Liu Yang Sloan, General Secretary & Chief Researcher of IRCNS in a meeting with Majyd Aziz, President, and Directors Khawaja Nauman, Ahsanullah Khan, Syed Nazar Ali, and Fasihul Karim Siddiqi, Secretary General of EFP.

Sloan highlighted three proposals to link China with Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the first phase and then extend it to Employer Organization of other South Asian Countries. He informed that the Silkroad Employers Cooperation Association will be first established. The next initiative will be a Special Advisory Board that would forward its recommendations directly to President Xi Jinping. The third initiative will be the formation of Silkroad Youth League like the Committee Youth League in China that has 200 million youth members who have to mandatory enlist once they are over 14 years of age.

Sloan appreciated the work of EFP in setting up the Skill Development Councils (SDCs) and the Workers Employers Bilateral Council of Pakistan (WEBCOP) and stated that the visionary initiatives of EFP would be very positive and useful to set up and achieve the objectives of the three cooperation initiatives. He said that in his opinion, EFP can play a prominent role in providing micro industries that China can invest in Pakistan.

Earlier, EFP Directors gave a detailed presentation on EFP activities and highlighted the role of EFP in promotions of Skills Development and Technical Education and Vocational Training. They further informed that Skill Pakistan 2030 will be formally launched in the next couple of months.

The EFP Directors also briefed him on EFP Economic Council, Pakistan Hospitality Show 2019 to be held in December in Karachi, and the programs to boost agriculture productivity and employment.

The EFP Directors emphasized that it is high time Sino-Pak trade was done in Yuan and Rupees and that the Currency Swap Agreement between both the Countries be widely publicized and that private sector should avail this.

They also informed Mr Sloan that efforts be made to reduce under-invoicing, misdeclaration and smuggling of Chinese products to Pakistan and that Chinese government should discourage exports of products that are manufactured in Pakistan but due to cheaper Chinese goods are not able to compete or are closing down.