President Zardari urges China envoy to deepen trade, technology ties

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has directed Pakistan’s incoming ambassador to China to prioritise economic and industrial cooperation with Beijing, particularly in technology, agriculture and skills development.

According to a press statement, the president gave direction on Tuesday during a meeting with Ambassador-designate Dr. Syed Ali Asad Gilani at Aiwan-e-Sadr, as Islamabad seeks to expand the economic side of its longstanding strategic relationship with China.

President Zardari called for greater business-to-business cooperation under the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), according to the President’s Secretariat.

He identified modern agriculture, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies as areas where the two countries could expand cooperation, with a particular focus on developing skills and creating jobs for Pakistani youth.

The president also urged Gilani to engage more actively with Chinese government institutions, the Communist Party of China, think tanks, universities and the media.

People-to-people ties, including student exchanges, should also be expanded, President Zardari said.

The meeting comes as Pakistan continues to seek greater Chinese investment and industrial cooperation under CPEC 2.0, following the infrastructure-focused first phase of the corridor.

President Zardari said Pakistan should build on the existing political relationship with China by increasing economic integration. He described the relationship with Beijing as the most consequential element of Pakistan’s foreign policy.

The president also said he was looking forward to a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pakistan for next year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.