Pakistan, ASEAN envoys agree to deepen trade and investment ties

September 24, 2025 (MLN): Ambassadors of seven ASEAN member states met with Pakistan’s leadership in Islamabad, signaling a renewed effort to expand trade, investment, and people-to-people linkages between the two sides.

The gathering, hosted at the Ministry of Commerce, brought together envoys and senior diplomats from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam and Myanmar. The wide representation highlighted ASEAN’s interest in building deeper commercial engagement with Pakistan.

During the talks, officials emphasized the need to move beyond traditional trade toward long-term partnerships in technology, infrastructure and skills development.

Pakistan presented its new trade policy, tariff rationalisation steps, and progress on a Free Trade Agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, while also inviting ASEAN businesses to tap into opportunities in Special Economic Zones under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“Through technology transfer, value addition in agriculture, and our skilled workforce, Pakistan can help unlock new trade potential with ASEAN countries,” Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan told the envoys, stressing Pakistan’s role as a gateway to Central Asia and its improved economic stability marked by single-digit inflation.

ASEAN representatives welcomed the outreach and identified promising areas of cooperation.

Malaysia’s envoy invited Pakistani firms to explore opportunities in the country’s growing semiconductor industry, while others pointed to ASEAN investments already present in Pakistan’s construction and power generation sectors.

The envoys also highlighted prospects in religious tourism, skills exchange and supply-chain partnerships, noting Pakistan’s large consumer base and strategic location as natural advantages for strengthening ties.

ASEAN, founded in 1967, is one of the world’s fastest-growing markets. Pakistan became a Sectoral Dialogue Partner in 1993 and has sought Full Dialogue Partner status, though a moratorium on new memberships remains in place.

The meeting concluded with both sides agreeing to chart a roadmap aimed at accelerating bilateral trade, investment and institutional cooperation in the months ahead.

Copyright Mettis Link News