During Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China, MoUs were signed in Zhejiang province and during his meeting with the provincial leadership, discussions were held on promoting cooperation at the provincial level, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Phase II and other areas.
A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended a business forum in the Chinese city of Bangru, where he was welcomed by Mr. Wang Hao, Party Secretary of the Communist Party of China Zhejiang Provincial Committee.
On this occasion, the Prime Minister said that cooperation at the provincial level is an important pillar of Pak-China relations, which can play a key role in advancing CPEC Phase II through industrial cooperation, agricultural modernization, technology exchange and export-led development.
The Prime Minister praised the magnificent development plan of Zhejiang Province and praised President Xi Jinping’s far-sighted leadership, which he carried out as the Party Secretary of Zhejiang Provincial Committee. The Prime Minister particularly appreciated the concept of “clean water and green mountains are invaluable assets” put forward by President Xi Jinping.
Shahbaz Sharif said that Zhejiang’s development is a practical example of how environmental protection, green development and high-quality economic growth can be promoted together.
He said that Pakistan attaches great importance to cooperation with Zhejiang Province, especially in the areas of digital economy, e-commerce, information technology, telecommunications, agriculture, renewable energy, modern industrialization and skills development.
During this time, the Prime Minister also attended the signing ceremony of two important documents related to cooperation. The first MoU was on the establishment of sister-provincial relations between Zhejiang Province and Punjab, which aims to promote cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, agriculture, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people contacts.
The Prime Minister also attended the signing ceremony of the document on the establishment of the China-Pakistan Joint Technology Research Center between Hangzhou Normal University and the Pakistani Embassy in Beijing. This center will promote academic cooperation, practical research, technology exchange and linkages between institutions of the two countries.
The Prime Minister said that Pakistan and China are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the two countries are entering a new era of people-friendly, development-oriented and practical cooperation.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reached Hangzhou in the first phase of his 4-day visit to China, where he was received at Xiaoshan Airport by Vice Governor of Zhejiang Province Xu Wenguang, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zedong and Pakistani Ambassador to Beijing Khalil Hashmi.
During this visit, the Prime Minister will also meet with the heads of leading Chinese companies and will also visit the headquarters of Chinese company Alibaba.
In the second phase of his visit, the Prime Minister will go to Beijing where he is scheduled to meet with President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang. The meetings will review bilateral cooperation in political, economic and strategic areas.
The statement said that during the Prime Minister’s meetings with the Chinese leadership, special attention will be focused on CPEC, trade, investment, industrial cooperation, agricultural modernization, information technology, science and technology and people-to-people contacts.