Shehbaz praises visionary leadership of China's Xi

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Wang Hao, Party Secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee in Hangzhou on Saturday and discussed matters related to bilateral cooperation.

Wang Hao welcomed the Prime Minister to Zhejiang Province. The Prime Minister appreciated the remarkable development achievements of Zhejiang Province and praised the visionary leadership of President Xi Jinping during his tenure as Party Secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee, particularly the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets".

He said Zhejiang's development offered an important example of how ecological conservation, green development and high-quality economic growth could advance in a mutually reinforcing manner.

The Prime Minister said Pakistan attached high importance to strengthening cooperation with Zhejiang Province, particularly in the fields of digital economy, e-commerce, information technology, telecommunications, agriculture, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and skills development.

He noted that provincial cooperation constituted an important pillar of Pakistan-China relations and could play a significant role in advancing CPEC Phase II through industrial cooperation, agricultural modernization, technology collaboration and export-oriented development.

The Prime Minister witnessed the signing of two cooperation documents. The first was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of a sister-province relationship between Zhejiang Province and Punjab Province. The MoU aims to promote cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

The Prime Minister also witnessed the signing of 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 promote academic cooperation, applied research, technology exchange and institutional linkages between Pakistan and China.