Pakistan and China have taken another step in deepening their cooperation in technology and digital infrastructure, with the signing of 10 memorandums of understanding during the second Pak-China B2B Conference held in Beijing from September 3 to 5, 2025. Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja accompanied Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the conference, which was marked by strategic engagements between Pakistani officials and leading Chinese technology companies. The Ministry of IT and Telecom, along with its affiliated departments, used the forum to strengthen government-to-government collaboration while also creating new avenues for public-private partnerships to enhance digital connectivity, emerging technologies, and youth development.
Among the highlights was a government-to-government agreement between Pakistan’s IT ministry and China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) to cooperate in emerging technologies. The delegation also visited Alibaba’s headquarters in Beijing, where opportunities for collaboration were explored in areas such as AI-based predictive disease detection, AI-driven VR technologies for industry, and open-source Gwen LLM model access. An official understanding was signed to provide training for Pakistani youth on the Alibaba platform to help them operate their own digital stores, with the aim of multiplying Pakistan’s business-to-business exports through Alibaba.com. Huawei Technologies also signed an agreement with the National Telecommunication Corporation to modernise government connectivity infrastructure, while co-signing with Sky47 Limited to establish Pakistan’s first full-stack AI cloud. This initiative is intended to provide sovereign and secure AI infrastructure, accelerating industrial digitisation and supporting local digital talent.
Another important milestone came through an MoU with China Submarine Cable Construction Company, which will focus on developing submarine cable infrastructure and national fiber backhaul networks to strengthen connectivity. Discussions were also held with the Guodong Group, which expressed interest in launching smart projects in Pakistan, including initiatives in smart cities, digital twins, AI adoption, and digital innovation centers. Talks with CVTE (MaxHub) revolved around the use of AI-based educational tools, with a pilot project planned for five schools in Islamabad before a wider rollout. ZTE Corporation, a long-standing technology partner, reaffirmed its commitment to Pakistan by planning to train 100,000 young people in emerging technologies while also establishing a Global ICT Training and Innovation Center in Islamabad.
Other agreements included those with Pak-China Investment Company Limited and Shanghai Hongqiao International (SHIDP) to facilitate increased partnerships and investments between the two countries. Collectively, these MoUs illustrate Pakistan’s efforts to build capacity across multiple fronts—connectivity, AI, data infrastructure, education, and youth skill development. The initiatives are expected to not only bring in technology transfer and investment but also support the broader vision of advancing digital cooperation with China. The minister credited the progress to strong coordination between the Ministry of IT and Telecom, PSEB, Ignite, the National Telecommunication Corporation, and the Special Investment Facilitation Council, in partnership with Pakistan’s embassy in China.
Source: Shaza Fatima Khawaja
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