PM heaps praise on uplift achievements of Zhejiang province

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif landed in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Saturday, commencing a four-day official visit aimed at deepening Pakistan-China cooperation across economic, technological and strategic sectors, with a particular focus on the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The prime minister was received at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport by Zhejiang Vice Governor Xu Wenguang, alongside China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong and Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

READ ALSO: PM Shehbaz arrives in China on four-day visit, witnesses MoU signing

Shortly after his arrival, Sharif met Wang Hao, Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Zhejiang Provincial Committee, during which the two sides witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding establishing a sister-province relationship between Zhejiang and Punjab.

According to the PMO, the agreement seeks to expand cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

Another document signed during the meeting was an understanding between Hangzhou Normal University and the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing for the establishment of a China-Pakistan Joint Technology Research Centre.

The proposed centre is expected to promote academic collaboration, applied research, technology transfer and institutional linkages between the two countries.

During the meeting, the prime minister praised Zhejiang province’s economic transformation and highlighted the role played by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his tenure as party secretary of the province.

Referring to Xi’s environmental governance philosophy, Sharif said Zhejiang had demonstrated how ecological conservation and economic growth could advance together in a mutually reinforcing manner.

“Zhejiang’s development offers an important example of how ecological conservation, green development and high-quality economic growth can progress simultaneously,” the prime minister was quoted as saying.

The prime minister emphasised Pakistan’s interest in enhancing cooperation with Zhejiang in areas including the digital economy, e-commerce, information technology, telecommunications, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, agriculture and skills development.

He described provincial-level cooperation as an important pillar of Pakistan-China relations and said such partnerships could contribute significantly to the implementation of CPEC’s second phase through industrial collaboration, agricultural modernisation, technological cooperation and export-led growth.

Highlighting the recent commemoration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Islamabad and Beijing, the prime minister said the two countries were entering “a new phase of practical, people-centric and development-oriented cooperation”.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the premier’s itinerary in Hangzhou includes chairing a Pakistan-China Business-to-Business Investment Conference aimed at strengthening cooperation between companies from both countries under the framework of CPEC 2.0.

Prime Minister Sharif is also scheduled to meet chief executives of leading Chinese firms and visit the headquarters of Alibaba Group as part of efforts to expand bilateral economic engagement.

Senior members of the Pakistani delegation accompanying the prime minister include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima, along with other senior officials.

During the visit, Prime Minister Sharif is expected to hold meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.

The discussions are likely to cover political, economic and strategic cooperation, with particular emphasis on trade, investment, industrial development, agricultural modernisation, information technology, science and technology cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

In Beijing, the prime minister will also attend a reception hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China.

Officials in Islamabad said the visit was expected to reinforce strategic coordination between the two countries, broaden practical cooperation and further consolidate what both sides have consistently described as an “all-weather” partnership.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026