PM Shehbaz joins world leaders at SCO summit reception

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday attended the reception for world leaders participating in the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Heads of State Council meeting in Tianjin, Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

PM Shehbaz held informal meetings with President of Russia Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Earlier, addressing students and faculty at Tianjin University, Shehbaz Sharif said Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vision has shown that “prosperity and progress can only be achieved through teamwork and shared progress, and not through exclusive rights.” He added that Pakistan fully supports Xi’s outlook.

Shehbaz urged Pakistani students in China to embrace modern knowledge and technology “with sheer commitment and hard work” and to return home to serve their country. He expressed satisfaction that more than 200 students from different regions of Pakistan were currently enrolled at Tianjin University, calling them “ambassadors of Pakistan”.

“It is an opportunity for you to be in a country and in such a university which is regarded as a cradle of great learning. Owing to your hard work, dedication and commitment, you would return to Pakistan as architects for its future,” he told the students. “Above all, you are the torch bearers of Pakistan-China friendship.”

Shehbaz highlighted that youth make up over 60 per cent of Pakistan’s population. Unlocking this potential, he said, was central to Islamabad’s partnership with Beijing. “Pakistan has partnered with China to chart new opportunities in advanced education, skill development and vocational training,” he said.

On agricultural cooperation, the prime minister said 1,000 Pakistani graduates are being sent to China to learn modern techniques. “These graduates, after acquiring sufficient training, will help assist farmers in achieving high yields in different crops,” he said.

Reflecting on the history of Pakistan-China relations, he said the friendship dated back to the Silk Road, when traders and monks carried goods and ideas across mountains and deserts. “They are as profound as Gandhara, where Buddhist art and learning travelled from Taxila to Shanghai and to Beijing,” he said.

Sharif recalled milestones in the relationship, noting Pakistan was the first Muslim-majority country to recognise China. The Karakoram Highway, he said, was one of China’s earliest and boldest infrastructure projects with a foreign partner. He also pointed out that Pakistan’s leader was the last foreign guest to be received by Chairman Mao Zedong.

During a visit to the National Earthquake Simulation Center at Tianjin University, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan was keen to benefit from Chinese expertise to adopt "effective preventive measures and strategies" to better cope with natural calamities .

The prime minister lauded China’s use of advanced technologies in disaster management, saying such methods "will prove extremely beneficial for Pakistan in dealing with natural disasters".

Existing initiatives in Pakistan, including the International Medical Center and the China-Pakistan Joint Lab, should be made more effective, he stressed as he called for expanding bilateral cooperation in disaster preparedness.

Shehbaz addressed the ongoing flood situation in Pakistan, noting that nationwide relief operations were underway to support affected families.

Read: Shehbaz heads to China for SCO summit

Additional convoys carrying aid had been dispatched to Narowal, Sialkot, Wazirabad, Hafizabad, Chiniot and Jhang, which would be handed over to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) for distribution, he stated.

Directing the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to remain in close coordination with the Punjab government, the prime minister assured that "relief operations for flood-affected families will continue."

During the visit, he was briefed on disaster management technologies, including newly developed medical rescue vehicles, as he was informed that several joint projects are operational under the Belt and Road Initiative, such as the China-Pakistan Joint Lab for Disaster and Emergency Medicine, the International Medical Cooperation Center, and the China-Pakistan Friendship Hospital.