Diplomats seek stronger Pakistan-Asean trade

Diplomats and business leaders from across Southeast Asia gathered at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Monday for the ASEAN Trade & Tourism Conference where speakers called for stronger economic ties between Pakistan and the 10-member regional bloc and identified key barriers hindering greater trade and investment. Presiding over the conference, LCCI President Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol highlighted the disparity between the economic strength of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Pakistan’s limited commercial engagement with the region. He noted that while ASEAN commands a combined GDP of approximately $4 trillion and exports exceeding $1.6 trillion, Pakistan’s exports to the bloc amount to only $1.37 billion.