China firms eye agri investment in Pakistan

The first China-Pakistan Symposium on Education, Science and Industrial Cooperation was held on January 20, 2026, at COMSTECH headquarters in Islamabad, marking a renewed and more integrated approach to bilateral collaboration.

The meeting was chaired by Senior Professor Zhang Lixin of Northwest A&F University, Chairman of the Silkroad Biohealth Agricultural Industry Alliance and Chief Scientist and Director of the Shaanxi Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Dryland Biological Resources and Green Smart Agriculture, China. It was attended by Pakistan's Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi, who delivered the keynote address. More than 50 representatives from government agencies, universities, research institutions and leading enterprises from both countries participated.

In his opening remarks, Professor Zhang Lixin welcomed the diverse delegation, which included representatives from Shaanxi province, Chinese national media, faculty members and students from Northwest A&F University, as well as officials from Pakistan's science and technology authorities, universities and industry.

Discussions focused on agriculture, higher education and industrial cooperation. Representing Pakistan's Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Shakil Arshad outlined ongoing collaborations in space science and traditional Chinese medicine with Chinese universities, including Nanjing University and Xian Jiaotong University.

Agricultural experts emphasised the urgency of collaborative innovation. Professor Muhammad Azam Khan, former director general of Pakistan's National Agriculture Research Center, said more than 700 crop varieties developed by the council now cover 80% of Pakistan's farmland. He called for enhanced cooperation with China in precision agriculture, smart machinery and sesame value-chain development. Professor Shah Nawaz Marri, Chairman of the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics at Sindh Agriculture University, announced plans to establish Pakistan's first China-Pakistan Agricultural Cooperation Center and expressed hope for joint research with China in areas such as pepper variety improvement and the exchange of germplasm resources for high-value crops.

Business representatives outlined specific investment opportunities. Sun Lianfeng, General Manager of Baoji Haisheng Modern Agriculture, said the company plans to introduce high-density apple cultivation technologies to Pakistan, which could increase yields by 30% while reducing water usage by 80%. Feng Lianying, General Manager of Xianyang Kangda Modern Agriculture, confirmed that preparations were actively under way to invest in modern poultry farming facilities in Pakistan.

Educational cooperation has already yielded tangible results. More than 260 Pakistani students are currently enrolled in agriculture-related majors at Northwest A&F University, while over 510 participants have completed training programmes. Last year and this year, a total of 10 Chinese Silk Road graduate students came to Pakistan University for exchange studies, while two Pakistani graduate students will go to China for training in smart agricultural technology.

In his closing remarks, Ambassador Khalil Hashmi described agriculture as a cornerstone of high-quality development under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, emphasising the strong complementarity between Pakistan's resources and China's technological strengths. He also said that a major international cooperation programme, approved in December 2025, would provide a new platform for future collaboration.

The symposium was followed by a 10-day series of visits by the Chinese delegation across Islamabad, Lahore and other regions. Activities included participation in a Pakistan-China agriculture investment conference, site inspections of farms, food processing and poultry facilities, and meetings with research institutions such as the Pakistan Academy of Sciences and the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute. Several cooperation agreements were signed and roadmaps were established for joint laboratories, technology transfer centres and demonstration parks.

Together, the forum and follow-up visits transformed dialogue into practical cooperation, strengthening people-to-people ties and laying a foundation for a deeper China-Pakistan partnership as the two countries approach the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.