ISLAMABAD: More than 450 pharmaceutical and healthcare companies from Pakistan and China will participate in a two-day investment conference in Islamabad this week to forge business partnerships, promote technology transfer and expand local manufacturing of medicines, vaccines, pharmaceutical ingredients and medical devices, senior federal ministers announced on Wednesday.
Addressing a joint pre-conference media briefing, Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal, Federal Minister for Board of Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan said the Pakistan-China Pharmaceutical & Healthcare B2B Investment Conference 2026 would be held on July 17-18 at Islamabad.
Organised by the Ministry of National Health Services, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and the Board of Investment (BOI), with support from Pakistan’s Embassy in Beijing, the conference will bring together more than 300 Pakistani companies and 150 leading Chinese firms.
Kamal said the initiative was the outcome of nearly two months of diplomatic and technical engagement, during which officials from the Ministry of Health, DRAP and Pakistan’s Embassy in Beijing identified investment opportunities and matched companies from both countries. “This is not a traditional trade exhibition. Companies are coming to conclude business agreements, not merely sign memoranda of understanding,” he said, adding that Pakistani and Chinese companies had been engaged in business consultations for more than a month following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent visit to China.
He said the conference would focus on seven priority investment areas, including active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), biotechnology products, human and veterinary vaccines, medical devices, specialised generic medicines, clinical research, and traditional herbal and nutraceutical products, with the objective of promoting indigenous manufacturing and reducing dependence on imports.
The inaugural session will be attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi, the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan and senior government officials. Partnership agreements related to local pharmaceutical manufacturing are also expected to be exchanged before structured business-to-business meetings begin. Dedicated facilitation desks established by DRAP, the Ministry of Health, the Board of Investment and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) will provide investors with on-the-spot assistance on regulatory approvals, licensing procedures and investment incentives.
On the second day, DRAP will brief participants on Pakistan’s regulatory framework, including its digitised licensing system and integration with the Pakistan Single Window.
SAPM Haroon Akhtar Khan said Pakistan’s improving economic indicators, declining interest rates and lower electricity tariffs had created a more attractive environment for investors. He said the government was actively facilitating the business community and had been pursuing hundreds of investment proposals with Chinese partners. The Federal Minister for Board of Investment, Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, said the government was committed to business-friendly policies and that the Board of Investment was facilitating both local and foreign investors by removing regulatory hurdles. He added that Pakistan’s strong stock market performance reflected growing investor confidence in the country’s economy.
The ministers expressed confidence that the conference would strengthen Pakistan-China industrial cooperation, attract fresh investment into the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, and accelerate technology transfer and local manufacturing in Pakistan.
