Pakistan Council on China hosted annual forum to discuss prospects of CPEC

Pakistan Council on China (PCC) hosted its annual forum on the prospects and challenges of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) today in Islamabad.

The aim of the conference was to help promote better understanding for the future opportunities and challenges in the implementation of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

As key note speakers, Chargé d'affaires Chinese Embassy Islamabad Mr. Lijian Zhao  and Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Ms Tehmina Janjua shed light on this  important project for the region.

While discussing the opportunities of this strategically very significant initiative, Pakistan's foreign secretary Ms Tehmina Janjua said that " Pakistan believes its long-term prosperity  is inextricably linked to peace and development and we need  comprehensive approaches to regional peace, stability and prosperity.

She further said that our long term  vision of economic development  is reflected in vision 2025 which emphasizes regional connectivity and economic cooperation. CPEC is a natural choice for Pakistan and china. Pakistan's Eastern neighbor has publicly announced opposition to CPEC and we are well aware of the challenges.  She said that as the flagship project of OBOR, CPEC is destined to serve as a game changer for the whole region.

Chargé d'affaires Chinese Embassy Islamabad Mr. Lijian Zhao highlighted the role of Pakistan and china for regional connectivity and trade saying that " BRI carries the virtue of peaceful cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and win-win spirit. He further said that CPEC is an unprecedented undertaking in the history of China-Pakistan relations".

Forum also discussed  cultural, educational and economic  dimensions of CPEC. President of Pakistan Council on China Amb (r) Inam-ul-Haq  said that Pakistan and China enjoy a unique history of mutual respect, trust and friendship. He said that PCC created  in an effort to improve the level and content of communications between the two countries. He further stated that CPEC is the foundation for regional cooperation, improving economic growth and offering trade diversifications.

Director of Pakistan Council on China, Hamayoun Khan said that PCC is without doubt a strong contributor  to the concept of  BRI and CPEC  with our intellectual advantage. He further said that every Pakistani and Chinese are looking forward to great success of CPEC which will ensure the brighter future of the whole region.

Pakistan Council on China (PCC), a think-tank that was established in 2012, a year before initiation of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in view of the significance of expanding Sino-Pak bilateral relation. PCC is an independent, non-political, non-partisan body constituted to promote Pak-China relations. 

HUAWEI’S Amazing promotional Campaign Closes With A Bang!

HUAWEI recently completed its latest campaign which was primarily focused on celebrating the joys sharing with their valued customers. The campaign was rightfully kicked off in the Holy month of Ramadan and continued on well past Eid. Starting in mid Ramadan, the company gave its customers the amazing opportunity towin gifts simply by purchasing any Huawei devices, whereby they also automatically entered the Grand Lucky Draw.

This grand campaign covered 10 major clusters in a total of 6 cities across Pakistan. The last in a series of weekend Grand Lucky Draws was held 15th July. Apart from the small selfie sticks and Huawei merchandise the customers won on the spot, certain lucky customers got the opportunity to win much bigger prizes like Television Sets, Motorbikes etc through the Grand Lucky draw. The last grand ceremony was held across Pakistan in all big technology clusters such as Hafeez Center and Hall Road Lahore on 15^th July where these prizes were distributed.

Mr. Blueking - Country Manager of Huawei in Pakistan stated: “Huawei is not just a big name in the technology world; it is a socially embedded organization. By this campaign, we aim to provide the Huawei customers with exciting gifts and prizes, to make their life more joyfull and exciting.”

Huawei Pakistan keeps delivering on its promise of providing more than just quality devices to its users though these social campaigns. According to Huawei officials they plan to launch some more exciting nationwide campaigns later this year through which users will get the opportunity to not only win big prizes but also get a chance to showcase their talents to the world. Stay tuned to the social pages of Huawei to get more information on that.

Samsung’s 2017 QLED TV Line-up Launched in Pakistan

Samsung Electronics Pakistan showcased the next innovation in TV during the launch event held in Lahore.

The newly launched QLED TV has it all: perfect color, boundless design and it is smarter than ever. The QLED TV picture quality is simply jaw dropping in terms of the utter realism, brilliant color, and immersive experience it provides. With no hyperbole intended, the QLED TV delivers a TV viewing experience which simply hasn’t been seen before.

Apart from the revolutionary picture quality that is powered by Samsung’s metal alloy quantum dots and Smart TV functions that help control almost all peripheral devices with the One Remote Control, Samsung’s QLED TV is the lifestyle TV that gives consumers the freedom to put their TV anywhere. The notion that your TV must sit still and/or be affixed to one place in the room will be completely changed with Samsung’s QLED TV.

With Q Picture, experience 100% colour volume. Utilising ground-breaking Quantum dot technology, QLED takes light and turns it into breath-taking colour. No matter how bright or dark the surroundings are, one can always see extreme depth with incomparably bold contrast. Q Style ensures that the TV blends perfectly into any surrounding with a no-gap wall-mount and an invisible connection. With Q Smart all devices and content can be controlled with one remote control.

Our 2017 lineup is ushering in a new era for television. This year, we are taking smart features, craftsmanship and creativity to new heights—all while delivering a premium experience and solving everyday consumer pain points in the process, “With QLED TV, Samsung’s advances in Quantum dot technology provide our best picture quality ever – all while truly enhancing the way you live. This is how television transforms—and becomes an essential part of your lifestyle.” said Mr. Y J KIM – President Samsung Electronics Pakistan & Afghanistan.

The launch event held in Lahore featured a live performance by Hadiqa Kiyani and was attended by notables & celebrities. The cricket star Imaad Waseem, who played in the Championship trophy, was also present at the event.

COMPANIES MUST BE AWARE OF THE FINANCIAL IMPACT OF CLIMATE-RELATED RISK, SAYS ACCA

ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) has welcomed the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) as an important step towards the better allocation of capital, by incorporating the effect of climate change in investment decisions.

Yen-pei Chen, subject manager – corporate reporting at ACCA said:

‘The four thematic areas of the TCFD’s recommendations – governance, strategy, risk management and metrics and targets – provide a useful framework for disclosure.

‘The detailed implementation guidance in the annex will be particularly helpful for companies preparing to report under the EU’s Directive on the disclosure of non-financial and diversity information.

‘Climate-related disclosures, in our view, will be best integrated into the reporting of the impact of other material factors within the four thematic areas.’

ACCA also welcomed the inclusion of references to the financial impact of climate-related risk, and the ensuing recommendation that this be reflected in companies’ financial statements.

‘In particular, climate-related risks could affect the carrying value of assets and goodwill, and in some cases the going concern status of the business,’ added Ms Chen.

‘Accounting standard setters such as the IASB should be giving greater priority to closing the long-standing gap that exists in reporting the effect of pollutant pricing or emissions trading systems.’

‘Pakistan has always faced extreme climate conditions, but now more than ever before climate or rather managing climate and its connected maladies is posing a threat that’s greater than global terrorism. Water scarcity for example threatens not only human lives but increasingly is being ignored by business processes. A lot of the environmental, social and governance costs needed for managing climate change are “off balance sheet”. This cannot remain the status quo. With game changing strategic investments like CPEC around the corner the cost to Pakistan of not investing in ESG in the short medium and long term may be a price too great.’ said Arif Masud Mirza, ACCA’s Regional Head of Policy – MENASA.

Professional accountants play an important role in helping companies to manage and report climate-related risks more effectively. This is particularly clear in light of this week’s EU adoption of non-binding guidelines for non-financial information reporting, which is another example of the global momentum towards better-informed capital markets and companies fit for the challenges of today’s world.

ACCA is committed to educating the professional accountants of the future, giving them the skills they need to respond to this wider set of challenges, and contribute to a more sustainable future for businesses and our planet.

PACRA Assigns Positive Outlook to Pak-Qatar Family Takaful Limited

Pakistan Credit Rating Agency (PACRA) has maintained the Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) rating of Pak-Qatar Family Takaful Limited (PQFTL) at ‘A’ (Single A). Outlook on the assigned rating has been revised from ‘Stable’ to ‘Positive’. 

The rating reflects sustained market position of the PQFTL having decent foothold in Takaful industry. The financial position of Pak-Qatar Family Takafulhas strengthened and gained momentum in terms of business expansion. Moreover, after having established extensive branch network, Pak-Qatar Family Takaful Limited is gradually expanding wings through Alternate Distribution Channels. The profitability of the company has remained strong as compared to peers, reflecting strong business profile. The financial risk profile has been strengthened based on fresh injection.

The Chief Financial Officer of PQFTL – Mr. Kamran Saleem stated that, “It is a pleasure for all the stakeholders to witness that the robust performance of PQFTL, in all aspects of its business, is being recognizedby a credible rating agency like PACRA. It is a reflection of the consistent hard work of our highly committed team. I congratulate all team members on winning this accolade for strong financial stature and earning more respect as a robust financial institution”.

The ‘Positive Outlook’ captures the company's ability to improve its market share while improving the persistency of Gross Contribution.

Y5 2017 – The finest mid-ranging smartphone by HUAWEI

HUAWEI, the leading telecommunications company has recently launched this year’s most innovative device in its winning mid-range series – HUAWEI Y5 2017. This revolutionary device has a redefined and user-friendly design making it smart and sturdy, all while looking premium and stylish to hold.

The Y5 2017 has beautifully curved edges and a sand blast finish, giving it an exquisite look and feel; whereas the 8.5mm thin design makes it the ideal size to perfectly fit inside the palm. Its design truly exemplifies fine craftsmanship and comes in 3 exquisite colours; white, grey and gold.

The Y5 2017’s marvelously crafted 5.5” HD display gives off a picture-perfect resolution which breathes life in all the pictures, videos, games and apps.  It comes with a revolutionary 8MP rear-camera with F2.0 aperture and a 5MP front-camera with an 84 degree wide angle, with an additional dual-flash and soft-lighting features – which makes it perfect for amazing photography even in low-light settings.  The beauty feature in the Y5 is designed to capture perfect selfies, giving a smooth photoshoped effect.

Huawei is rapidly emerging as an innovative industry leader within the electronics and telecommunications arena, aiming to deliver exceptional services to the rapidly expanding segment of smartphone users in Pakistan, who seek powerful global connectivity.

GREE to install 550 tons VRF All DC Inverter System at Crystal Mall, Multan

GREE - a globally leading enterprise of air-conditioners has recently signed a project of installing 550 ton VRF All DC Inverter systems at Crystal Mall, Multan - the 2^nd biggest shopping mall of Southern Punjab. Crystal Mall is state-of-the-art luxury shopping mall which includes top brands, food court and a cinema theatre.

GREE goes out-of-the-way to meet the expectations of its customers, whilst delivering excellence. GREE All DC Inverter Multi VRF System is equipped with extremely high-efficient inverter compressors, and also has four exciting features, different from the traditional inverter air conditioners. This system has an excellent energy saving effect, reducing the electricity cost throughout the year. It also has a smarter network control, more reliable and precise operation which provides the users with the best cooling experience.

Other distinguish features of GREE VRF system are; All DC inverter technology, DC fan-linkage control, precise control of capacity output, balancing control of refrigerant, original oil balancing technology with high pressure chamber, high-efficiency output control, low-temperature operation control technology, super heating technology, high adaptability for project & environmental refrigerant.

GREE is a brand which stands on quality and reflects technological excellence. It possesses the expertise to produce highly reliable products with cutting-edge technologies.