Minister for National Health Services, Mustafa Kamal, says the upcoming Pak-China Pharmaceutical and Healthcare B2B Investment Conference will usher in a new era of pharmaceutical manufacturing and investment in Pakistan.

He was addressing a news conference in Islamabad today alongside Minister for Board of Investment Qaiser Ahmed Shaikh and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan.

Mustafa Kamal said the conference will focus on key sectors, including vaccines, biotechnology, the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), medical devices, and herbal medicines.

He said the event will bring together nearly five hundred local and international delegates and businessmen to explore investment opportunities in the healthcare sector.

Business-to-business (B2B) meetings, during which investment agreements and joint ventures are expected to be signed, are also part of the conference.

The Minister said the government is taking various measures to attract investment, expressing confidence that the conference would prove to be a game changer for Pakistan's pharmaceutical and healthcare industry.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Board of Investment Qaiser Ahmed Shaikh said the government is pursuing investor-friendly policies and is placing special emphasis on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to promote an export-led economy.

He said a special industrial zone at Port Qasim is also being established, where land will be offered at concessional rates to investors, particularly those planning to export 50 to 70 percent of their production.

In his remarks, Haroon Akhtar Khan said the upcoming conference marks a significant step towards strengthening cooperation with China.

He said the two-day conference will focus on active pharmaceutical ingredients, biotechnology and vaccines, medical devices, generic formulations and injectables, clinical trials and research, and herbal and traditional Chinese medicines.

Haroon Akhtar Khan also announced that a technical and vocational education and training forum on skills development will be organized on the sidelines of the conference.

He said Pakistan is moving towards a manufacturing-based and export-led economy. He said Chinese investors have shown keen interest in investing in the country's pharmaceutical and healthcare sector.