Muhammad Aurangzeb ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Saturday said Pakistan’s inaugural Panda Bond issuance marked a “transformational step” in the country’s financial landscape and opens a new chapter in Pakistan-China economic cooperation by giving Pakistan access to the world’s second-largest and second-deepest capital market for the first time. In an interview with China Global Television Network following the official Panda Bond issuance ceremony in Beijing, Mr Aurangzeb said the successful issuance reflected the growing confidence of Chinese institutions and global investors in Pakistan’s macroeconomic stability, reform agenda and economic direction. “Nearly one-quarter of bilateral trade between Pakistan and China is already being settled in RMB and Chinese Yuan (CNY),” he said, highlighting increasing financial integration and expanding economic partnership between the two countries.