ISLAMABAD: Shehbaz Sharif on Friday praised the “historic” relationship between Pakistan and China during a meeting with a Chinese business delegation in Islamabad.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, an 11-member high-level Chinese business delegation met the premier. The delegation was led by Qian Xiaojun, founder, president and controlling shareholder of IBI Beijing United Technology.
While welcoming the delegation, the prime minister said Pakistan and China shared longstanding historic ties and described the two countries as all-weather strategic cooperative partners.
Shehbaz also appreciated the rapid development achieved by China under the leadership of Xi Jinping. He added that he was looking forward to his upcoming visit to China later this month.
The prime minister further welcomed the increasing business-to-business engagement between Pakistan and China, saying it was encouraging that IBI intended to promote cooperation in the digital economy, investment facilitation and industrial collaboration.
Expressing confidence in Pakistan’s economic potential, Xiaojun said IBI aimed to help establish the foundation for the country’s digital economic transformation.
He stated that the company’s planned Digital Economy headquarters in Pakistan would serve as the command centre for this transformation. According to Xiaojun, the initiative would create significant opportunities for Pakistan’s small and medium-sized enterprises by providing them access to the large Chinese market.
The visit by the Chinese delegation came after the Pakistan-China Business-to-Business Investment Conference held in Beijing in September 2025 during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China.