News Analysis |
A leading investment group from China has launched an international campaign in London to promote Gwadar, located in Southern Pakistan, as a lucrative investment destination. In a month-long campaign, 100 double-decker buses will run on 17 different routes of Central London, dissipating the message of ‘Gwadar: The Gateway to Emerging Pakistan’ imprinted on them.
Central London is considered world’s financial capital. These buses will carry the message from Zone 1 of Central London to Zone 4.
The objective of this campaign is to bring the attention of world’s giant investors to Gwadar that is the focal point of the strategic economic integration project ‘China Pakistan Economic Corridor’.
“It’s our estimate that at least 10 million of the world’s most influential people will see these buses whilst be parading the elite localities of Central London from Oxford Street to Park Lane and Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament and Lords in Westminster”, said Stuart Reid, the Chief Operating Officer of China Pakistan Economic Corridor in a statement.
Read more: Baloch Chief Minister approves Rs. 1 billion for Gwadar’s development projects
“We have put Pakistan and Gwadar on the highest platform in the most prime locality of London, the city with the world’s most billionaires, which sees over $5 trillion in daily financial transactions”, he added.
This campaign is the first-ever innovative effort to promote Gwadar outside Pakistan. Stuart Reid pointed out that “Gwadar inherits all the factors to compete Dubai in terms of economic perspective as acknowledged in one of the articles published in UK’s leading publication ‘Telegraph.’
He also mentioned that the root cause of Gwadar’s underrepresentation in the world is more negative PR and not the insufficient resources and capability of the economic zone.
“Pakistan is amongst the fastest growing economies in Asia today, it is poised to become the 20th largest economy in the World by 2030 and the world should understand these facts. The difference between Pakistan and other regional competitors today is not capability or potential but negative PR. Pakistan is a land full of opportunity and here at the China Pak Investment Corporation we will bring these opportunities to the forefront for global investors.”
“Looking for an economic perspective we can indeed see the parallels, Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port and Free zone generates over 22% of Dubai’s GDP, creating employment for 100’s of thousands of individuals, similarly China has launched the first phase of Gwadar’s Free zone which is expected to become the busiest port in South Asia by 2022.
Read more: Why is Chabahar Port no match for Gwadar?
Land prices in Dubai grew 3000%+ in the last 20 years as it established itself as the shipping and trade hub of the Middle-East. We see Gwadar following a similar trajectory as the shipping and trade hub of South Asia.”