Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday underscored Pakistan’s potential to accelerate economic growth by leveraging China’s experience, technology, and expertise, particularly in agriculture, information technology, and artificial intelligence. Speaking at the Pak-China Agri-Investment Conference, the prime minister noted that China’s rapid development offered valuable lessons and that effective use of Chinese know-how could enable Pakistan to achieve in months what would otherwise take years.
He highlighted that Pakistan’s economy had transitioned from a stabilisation phase to sustainable growth, citing declining inflation, a significant policy rate cut, improved export performance, and overall better macroeconomic indicators. Emphasizing agriculture as the backbone of the economy, the prime minister stressed the importance of modern farming techniques, efficient water management, value chains, cold storage, and value addition to enhance productivity and farm incomes.
Shehbaz Sharif said China was providing advanced agricultural technology and training, which could transform Pakistan’s agri-economy. Several business-to-business and government-to-government memoranda of understanding signed between the two countries in 2024 and 2025 were now being converted into practical commercial agreements.
The prime minister highlighted human capital development, noting that 1,000 Pakistani agriculture graduates had received training at Chinese universities and research institutions. These graduates are expected to support farmers upon returning home, helping improve yields and farm income.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to operationalising CPEC 2.0, describing it as a platform for deeper economic cooperation and long-term growth. The premier also pointed to the celebration of 75 years of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China this year, reflecting a time-tested partnership.
Shehbaz Sharif highlighted Pakistan’s young population as a major asset and noted that youth were being equipped with modern skills in agriculture, IT, and artificial intelligence to accelerate economic growth.
Addressing the conference, Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong welcomed Pakistan’s recent economic progress, noting that GDP growth had exceeded 3% last year and reached 3.71% in the first quarter of FY26. Inflation had eased to around 4%, the current account posted a surplus of $2.1 billion, and foreign exchange reserves had risen to $21.2 billion, reflecting improving economic stability.
The ambassador said China would deepen cooperation under its upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan, prioritizing agricultural collaboration with a target to raise bilateral agricultural trade to $1 billion and expand cooperation in modern farming technologies.
This collaborative framework highlights Pakistan’s strategic focus on leveraging foreign expertise, enhancing agricultural productivity, and building human capital to drive sustained economic growth while strengthening long-term bilateral relations with China.
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