Hangzhou, May 23, 2026(Kamran Raja): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met Mr. Wang Hao, Party Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Zhejiang Provincial Committee, in Hangzhou today. Mr. Wang Hao warmly welcomed the Prime Minister to Zhejiang Province and reaffirmed the longstanding friendship between Pakistan and China.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister lauded the remarkable development achievements of Zhejiang Province and paid tribute to the visionary leadership of President Xi Jinping during his tenure as Party Secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee. In particular, he appreciated the guiding concept that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,” describing it as a powerful model for sustainable and inclusive development.
The Prime Minister observed that Zhejiang’s success demonstrated how ecological conservation, green development and high-quality economic growth could advance together in a mutually reinforcing manner. He noted that Pakistan was keen to benefit from Zhejiang’s experience in innovation-driven development and modernization.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized that Pakistan attached great importance to strengthening cooperation with Zhejiang Province in key sectors including digital economy, e-commerce, information technology, telecommunications, agriculture, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and skills development.
He underscored that provincial-level cooperation remained an important pillar of Pakistan-China relations and could play a pivotal role in advancing the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) through industrial collaboration, agricultural modernization, technological innovation and export-oriented growth.
The Prime Minister also witnessed the signing of two important cooperation documents aimed at deepening institutional and people-to-people ties between Pakistan and China.
The first document was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a sister-province relationship between Zhejiang Province and Punjab Province. The MoU seeks to enhance cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
The second document was 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 serve as a platform for academic cooperation, applied research, technology exchange and institutional linkages between Pakistan and China.
The Prime Minister noted 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 that would further strengthen the enduring All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership between the two nations.