China’s Hebei Juhang Energy Eyes Setting Up Major Solar Panel Plant in Pakistan

China’s Hebei Juhang Energy Technology Group has signaled a strong interest in setting up a large-scale solar panel manufacturing facility in Pakistan, aiming to serve both local and export markets. The announcement came during a meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday between a Chinese delegation led by Group Chairman Wang Jianbin and Pakistan’s Minister for the Board of Investment (BoI), Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh. The delegation, joined by representatives from the China-Pakistan Business Forum, outlined plans to invest billions of dollars in Pakistan’s solar energy and other high-tech sectors. Minister Sheikh welcomed the proposal, calling it “a great time and a golden opportunity for investment in Pakistan.” He highlighted recent government reforms to improve the business climate, including the launch of a single-window Business Facilitation Centre (BFC) to streamline business processes. As part of its investment facilitation package, the BoI informed the Chinese group that the government is ready to allocate 6,000 acres of land for the project. The minister also briefed the delegation on Pakistan’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs), which offer incentives such as a 10-year income tax holiday. Sheikh noted that Pakistan’s economy is stabilizing, with the stock market index rising nearly fourfold to fivefold over the past year. He pointed to agriculture, solar energy, information technology, chemicals, and manufacturing as sectors with significant growth and export potential for foreign investors. The meeting also reviewed the outcomes of the second Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference, held in Beijing in September, which resulted in agreements and joint ventures worth $8.5 billion across multiple priority sectors. Minister Sheikh reaffirmed the BoI’s commitment to supporting Chinese investors and called for swift progress on feasibility studies and joint-venture agreements. He emphasized that Pakistan remains a strategic partner for China and welcomes high-quality, green-tech investments that will create jobs and drive sustainable economic growth.