ISLAMABAD: Pakistan-occupied Kashmir‘s president Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry has invited Chinese businesses to invest heavily in the disputed region, state media reported on Wednesday after the director of China’s Yunnan Sunny Road and Bridge Company met him in Muzaffarabad the previous day to discuss “massive opportunities” across sectors.
Li Ping, whose company specialises in building tunnels and highways, purportedly briefed Chaudhry on a blueprint for multiple projects in PoK.
The duo also spoke about the region’s tourism potential and abundance of natural resources, including precious stones like rubies and other minerals, Associated Press of Pakistan said.
Beijing has already pledged investments in PoK under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative, including the Karot and Kohala hydropower projects, the construction of the M-4 motorway, and a special economic zone in Mirpur.
India, which claims PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan as part of its territory, views the CPEC projects as an infringement. The Pakistani and Chinese govts dismiss India’s concerns as misplaced. PoK operates as a self-governing entity under Islamabad.