BEIJING: The Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing today hosted a Technical and Vocational Education & Training (TVET) Symposium focused on home appliances, electrical equipment, and battery and power storage manufacturing. The event was themed “Building Partnerships for Skills Development and Academia–Industry Collaboration”. Chinese enterprises and leading TVET institutions and Pakistani companies attended to explore investment and skills development opportunities in these high-potential sectors.
Officials from China’s Ministry of Human Resource & Social Security and 41 participants from Chinese TVET institutions and companies joined the symposium. Minister for Planning, SAPM on Industries, Chairperson NAVTTC and Pakistani companies participated online.
In his opening remarks, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, H.E. Khalil Hashmi, emphasized the Embassy’s commitment to prioritize and pursue sector-specific, outcome-oriented collaboration in TVET. Building on the success of the December 2025 TVET Forum on Agriculture, the Ambassador noted that this symposium served as a preparatory platform for the upcoming B2B Investment Conference on home appliances, electrical equipment and battery energy and home storage system manufacturing scheduled for 9-10 May 2026, in Lahore. He encouraged Chinese enterprises to actively participate in the conference to foster joint ventures and business partnerships. Ambassador Hashmi underscored that TVET lay at the core of industrial development and economic resilience and reiterated that a skilled workforce was essential to fully harnessing foreign investment in Pakistan. He also highlighted the expanding cooperation under the CPEC in human resource development and skills transfer.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, addressed the symposium via recorded message and noted Pakistan’s burgeoning home appliances market valued at $5.6 billion and a 75% surge in electrical equipment imports to nearly $6 billion last year. He stressed that skilled technicians could bridge the gap between import dependence and domestic production. He cited the “Livelihood Corridor” under CPEC 2.0 and the “URAAN Pakistan” framework as strategic opportunities for collaboration, reaffirming the government’s commitment to upgrading 250 TVET centers and launching a 60,000-person paid internship program. Mr. Haroon Akhtar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Industries and Production, called for greater collaboration with Chinese partners to develop training programs and centers of excellence. Ms. Gulmina Bilal Ahmed, Chairperson of NAVTTC, emphasized joint training programs and industry-led apprenticeships under CPEC. Mr. Muhammad Ayaz, Trade and Investment Attaché at the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing, presented cooperation models across 21 priority sectors, including EVs, electronics, and ICT.
Later, the Chinese TVET institutions showcased their strengths and expressed keen interest in collaborating with Chinese companies investing in Pakistan in the priority sectors. Their presentations were followed by interactive discussion on needs, opportunities and proposals for collaboration with the Pakistani companies. In his concluding remarks, Ambassador Hashmi reaffirmed the Embassy’s dedication to translating dialogue into tangible and sector-driven outcomes. He expressed appreciation to Chinese institutions which indicated their willingness to attend the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference in Lahore on 9-10 May for the home appliances, electrical equipment, and battery & power storage sectors. –PR
