Islamabad, March 13, 2026( Kamran Raja): Coordinator General Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, Coordinator General OIC-COMSTECH held a meeting with Xu Hangtian , Minister Counsellor at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Islamabad to discuss expanding collaboration in science, technology, education, and innovation between China and the OIC member states.
During the meeting Dr. Choudhary appreciated the continued cooperation between COMSTECH and Chinese institutions and emphasized the importance of strengthening scientific and technological partnerships between China and the OIC countries.
Minister Counsellor Xu Hangtian welcomed the COMSTECH delegation and reaffirmed China’s commitment to expanding collaboration with COMSTECH in the fields of science, technology, health, and innovation.
During the meeting, both sides reviewed several successful joint initiatives undertaken between COMSTECH and Chinese partner institutions. These included the COMSTECH–HUCM Technicians Training Programs held in 2024 and 2025 aimed at building technical expertise in traditional medicine, the COMSTECH–Ningbo Technicians Training Program conducted in 2025 focusing on advanced laboratory and biomedical technologies, and a 19-day certificate course on Applied Biomedical Artificial Intelligence organized jointly by COMSTECH and Ningbo University for researchers from OIC member states.
Both sides appreciated the impact of these initiatives in strengthening human resource capacity across OIC countries. They also discussed the establishment of the COMSTECH–Zhejiang Joint Laboratory to promote collaborative research in traditional Chinese medicine, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and biomedical sciences.
CG COMSTECH also informed the Chinese side about plans to establish an OIC–COMSTECH Office in Beijing to facilitate closer coordination with Chinese universities, research institutions, and technology organizations.
The meeting acknowledged recent visits of Chinese delegations to COMSTECH during 2025–2026, which helped identify new opportunities for collaboration in training programs, research partnerships, and technology transfer. The participants also discussed the upcoming visit of a 27-member Chinese delegation to COMSTECH scheduled for April 2026.
During the discussions, Prof. Dr. Iqbal Choudhary proposed the nomination of a permanent representative from the Chinese Embassy to COMSTECH to enhance coordination and follow-up on joint initiatives. He also suggested expanding joint training programs for scientists and technicians from OIC member states in collaboration with Xinjiang Medical University in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical sciences. Minister Counsellor Xu Hangtian welcomed the proposal in principle and requested that a formal proposal be shared with the embassy.
The meeting concluded with both sides reaffirming their commitment to deepening cooperation in science, technology, and innovation and agreeing to maintain regular communication to implement the discussed initiatives.