Pakistan will benefit from ChinaR
17;s experience in alleviating poverty through e-commerce, according to Pakistani experts who participated in the recent online Seminar on South-South Cooperation in Cross-border E-commerce for Poverty Eradication and Global Sustainable Development on China
8217;s coastal city of Qingdao.
“During the training, I learned how to gradually transfer e-commerce skills in rural areas through training p
rogrammes, starting with popularisation sessions to service centres,” said Hassan Rizvi, Manager of Capacity Building at the Balochistan Rural Support P
rogram (BRSP), in an exclusive interview with China Economic Net (CEN).
According to Rizvi, the five-day training mentioned an oft-neglected but crucial triad reasons for poverty: lack of development resources, weak sense of competition and improper market docking. “In all these three aspects, China has been completely successful in optimising them with e-commerce…This one was the most inspiring for me personally,” Rizvi revealed.
In her written interview with CEN, Nadia Perveen, lecturer of Business and Economics at Quaid I Azam University termed the training sessions as important sources for her students. “I always motivate my students to start their own business. This seminar was a very good opportunity to learn the Chinese practices regarding e-commerce and to teach my students.”
Similar views are echoed by Zahid Latif, Assistan
t Engineer of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication of Pakistan (MoITT), who obtained his PhD at a top IT university in China.
“During my four y
ears in China, I observed the booming e-commerce and sharing economy there,” the engineer exclaimed, “One example is bicycle riding…You could ride a bicycle for just one RMB (about Rs. 28).”
Focusing on empowering people with technology, Latif believes e-commerce will be a “game-changer” for Pakistan, and that China and Pakistan can cooperate with each other in e-commerce-driven poverty alleviation.
“In July 2018, the Pakistan-China fibre optic was laid down for the purpose of boosting the digital technology in Pakistan. I think this type of initiative is not only beneficial for raising GDP but for raising people
8217;s living standards,” shared Latif, adding that more bilateral cooperation is possible in reducing poverty in Pakistan through e-commerce.
But to replicate ChinaR
17;s experience of reducing poverty through e-commerce, Hassan Rizvi mentioned that Pakistan has to increase the internet penetration in the country.
“In my opinion, the common goal of poverty elevation can be embedded in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as well. It
8217;s a good resource and can become a good channel to promote e-commerce,” said Rizvi.
Organised by the Shangdong Foreign Trade Vocational College and hosted by China
8217;s Ministry of Commerce in partnership with the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), the training seminar is designed to facilitate knowledge sharing and capacity development on cross-border e-commerce for policymakers, practitioners, and entrepreneurs from developing countries.
A total of over 1,100 participants from more than 90 countries and regions, including 37 Pakistanis, participated in the training seminar.