Opportunities knock for Pakistani entrepreneur in China's free trade port

HAIKOU, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Sitting in a sleek office in Sanya, a tropical resort city in south China's Hainan Province, a young man confidently answers policy questions in both Chinese and English for foreigners looking to move to the island.

Muhammad Amir Shehzad, a Pakistani entrepreneur, has become a trusted guide for fellow expats, earning the nickname "living map."

Born in the 1990s, Shehzad first came to China in 2015 to study medicine in Shijiazhuang, northern province of Hebei. During his studies, a chance encounter with a trending product sparked a business idea.

"I discovered that Himalayan pink salt from my hometown was popular in the Chinese market," he recalled.

Seizing the opportunity, he and a friend started a business to import the salt into China, surprised that a product from his hometown had turned into an online sensation.

Though Shehzad returned briefly to Pakistan after graduating, China never left his thoughts. "The friends, the food, the landscapes. I couldn't forget them," he said.

In 2022, encouraged by his Chinese friends and drawn by the opening-up policies of the Hainan Free Trade Port, Shehzad moved to the island and registered a company in Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City in Sanya.

His business now focuses on local agricultural products such as coconut oil, while he has also launched a consulting firm offering one-stop policy advice to fellow foreign nationals.

"Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City made it very convenient for foreigners to handle work-related procedures, and the business-friendly policies helped me get all my paperwork done quickly," Shehzad said, hailing the efficiency of the support services available to entrepreneurs like him.

In recent years, Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City has introduced a range of supportive policies for foreign startups. A comprehensive service window for international talent provides over 100 cross-border services, including work permits that are often processed within a single day.

"Whenever we have questions, we can reach out to the enterprise service team. They usually reply within 24 hours, whether it's about policy interpretation or business procedures," said Shehzad. "Policies like duty-free processing for imports and fast-track intellectual property registration are very attractive for companies."

Officials have also streamlined support for international entrepreneurship, helping foreign-owned startups to register within three days, offering two years of rent-free co-working space, and providing full-service guidance. So far, the program has helped 32 foreign companies establish operations.

Shehzad has also helped others find success. His friend Shujaat Khan, also from Pakistan, once worked at Shehzad's company. Later on, he started his own business with Shehzad's support, taking advantage of the same policies.

Today, they work together to promote Chinese products in markets like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

From bringing products into China to helping them reach the world, Shehzad has come full circle, first introducing Pakistani goods to China and now guiding Chinese products to global markets.

These days, Shehzad is a regular face at trade fairs, promoting both Chinese and Pakistani goods. "I hope to be a bridge of friendship between our two countries," he said.

Shehzad's entrepreneurial journey reflects China's ongoing efforts to deepen high-level opening up. In recent years, the country has rolled out a series of policies to improve the business environment, attract foreign investment, and promote cross-border talent mobility, with pilot zones such as the Hainan Free Trade Port playing a key role.

Official data show that since 2018, Hainan's trade in goods and services has consistently grown at an average annual rate exceeding 25 percent. The province has attracted a total of 17.4 billion U.S. dollars in foreign investment.

"Hainan has become my second home," Shehzad said. "I hope more foreigners who love this island can take root here and turn their dreams into reality."  ■