KARACHI: The Sindh government and Hunan Province of China have taken a significant step towards strengthening institutional, economic and people-to-people ties with the signing of a Letter of Intent (LoI) on cooperation between the two sides.

According to a pressrelease issued here on Sunday, the LoI was signed by Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and the director general of Hunan Foreign Affairs Office, Guo Ning, in Changsha, China.

The signing marks an important milestone in expanding cooperationbetween Sindh and Hunan, creating a framework for greater engagement in areas of mutual interest and opening avenues for stronger economic, trade, investment, technological andculturalhnkages.

The ceremony was attended by Special Assistant to Sindh ChiefMinister Qassim Naveed Qamar, Consul General of Pakistan in Guangzhou Yasir Iqbal Butt and others.

The development comes against the backdrop of the visit of President Asif Zardari in April this year laying the solid foundation of cooperation between the two provinces.

The LoI is expected to facilitate closer institutional coordination, promote business-to-business engagement, encourage investment and technology partnerships and create new opportunities for enterprises and communities in both provinces.With Sindh`s diverse economic potential and Hunan`s strong industrial, technological and agricultural capabilities, the partnership provides a platform for practical cooperation and mutually beneficial development.

The signing also reinforces the shared commitment of both sides to translate the longstanding friendship between Pakistan and China into tangible outcomes in the form of economic growth, investment, innovation, knowledge exchange and peopleto-people connectivity.

-Dawn Report