Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday arrived in China’s Hangzhou city on the first leg of his four-day visit to the neighbouring country and witnessed signing of the Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs).
He is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima and Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi.
Upon arrival at Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport, PM Shehbaz was received by Vice Governor Zhejiang Province Xu Wenguang, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong, and Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi.
After arriving in the “beautiful and dynamic city” of Hangzhou, PM Shehbaz said he was grateful to the leadership of Zhejiang Province for the warm welcome extended to him and his delegation.
“We look forward to strengthening practical cooperation with Zhejiang Province across diverse fields, including the digital economy, e-commerce, information technology, telecommunications, agriculture, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, and skills development,” he stated.
As Pakistan and China commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations, he said, he looked forward to engaging with President Xi Jinping and the Chinese leadership, while reaffirming their shared commitment to further strengthening the enduring bond of friendship between our two brotherly nations.
“Long live Pakistan-China friendship!”
Later, PM Shehbaz met Party Secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee Wang Hao in Hangzhou.
The prime minister appreciated the remarkable development achievements of Zhejiang Province and praised the visionary leadership of President Xi Jinping during his tenure as Party Secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee, particularly the concept that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.”
He said Zhejiang’s development offered an important example of how ecological conservation, green development and high-quality economic growth could advance in a mutually reinforcing manner.
The premier said Pakistan attached high importance to strengthening cooperation with Zhejiang Province, particularly in the fields of digital economy, e-commerce, information technology, telecommunications, agriculture, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and skills development.
“Provincial cooperation constitutes an important pillar of Pakistan-China relations and could play a significant role in advancing CPEC Phase II through industrial cooperation, agricultural modernisation, technology collaboration and export-oriented development,” he noted.
The prime minister witnessed the signing of two cooperation documents.
The first was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of a sister-province relationship between Zhejiang Province and Punjab Province. The MoU aims to promote cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
PM Shehbaz also witnessed the signing of a Document of Understanding between Hangzhou Normal University and the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing for the establishment of the China-Pakistan Joint Technology Research Centre at the University. The Centre will promote academic cooperation, applied research, technology exchange and institutional linkages between Pakistan and China.
He said that, as Pakistan and China commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries were entering a new phase of practical, people-centric and development-oriented cooperation.
The PM will also attend a business forum aimed at promoting cooperation between Pakistani and Chinese companies under China Pakistan Economic Cooperation (CPEC) Phase 2 and participate in a ceremony for the exchange of agreements.
PM Shehbaz will meet with CEOs of prominent Chinese companies. He will also visit the headquarters of the Chinese company Alibaba and attend a signing ceremony for cooperation memoranda.
Later, the premier will proceed to Beijing. In Beijing, he will hold meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. He will also attend an event commemorating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China.
The Prime Minister will meet with the heads of other major Chinese companies and will visit the China Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS).
