中文
By Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's recent visit to China represented an ideal combination of geo-economics and geopolitics, steering both countries, their economies, communities, and enterprises toward deeper integration through numerous win-win propositions. It carried a clear message of shared economic prosperity, peaceful conflict resolution, and the meaningful inclusion of the private sector across diverse areas of the economy, including investment, joint ventures, and financial cooperation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Phase 2.0.
From a geo-economic perspective, the visit serves as a new launching pad for CPEC Phase 2.0, securing fresh investments, brightening prospects for joint ventures, and identifying common ground for qualitative industrialization through digitalization, artificial intelligence, green and quantum technologies, and the further consolidation of hybrid agriculture. Prime Minister Sharif's meeting with the Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing marked the high point of Pakistan-China economic relations, effectively reviving and re-energizing CPEC Phase 2.0.
The visit will also facilitate the re-entry of Chinese private companies into Pakistan, especially under CPEC Phase 2.0, transforming it into a genuine champion of socio-economic prosperity, financial integration, trans-regional connectivity, and industrial growth. The shift from infrastructure development toward economic sustainability, poverty elimination, job creation, and broad-based social development driven by private-sector involvement lies at the core of this renewed engagement.
Prime Minister Sharif's prior trip to Zhejiang Province epitomized astute economic diplomacy, further diversifying the scope, utility, productivity, and significance of Pakistan-China economic ties and CPEC Phase 2.0. As one of China's most dynamic hubs for private-sector development, Zhejiang has already seen extensive business engagement in Pakistan. The visit sent a strong positive signal that Pakistan welcomes more Chinese private enterprises to expand into its market, jointly injecting new momentum into bilateral economic cooperation.
The visit sought to transform CPEC Phase 2.0 by emphasizing artificial intelligence, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, and e-commerce. Sharif's participation in the Pakistan-China Business-to-Business (B2B) Investment Conference in Hangzhou, which brought together hundreds of enterprises, has further brightened the prospects for a robust role by private companies in CPEC Phase 2.0.
It is a promising development that the visit attracted new investments through memoranda of understanding (MoUs) focused on joint ventures, industrial relocation, and agricultural exports, rather than traditional infrastructure loans. Protocols on quarantine, sanitary, and phytosanitary requirements for maize exports and dried fruits and nuts will further enhance agricultural exports to China. Moreover, the MoU on supporting free trade and multilateralism, deepening exchanges in economic development, and establishing a formal sister-province relationship between Punjab and Zhejiang will be a significant value addition.
Additionally, MoUs in sectors such as solar panel production, agricultural technology, hydrogen energy represent a giant step toward attracting more foreign direct investment from Chinese private companies. These initiatives create numerous beneficial propositions for CPEC Phase 2.0.
Sharif's engagements beyond Beijing also reflect Pakistan's intention to deepen people-to-people exchanges with more Chinese provinces and strengthen public support for broader bilateral cooperation. Such arrangements will enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples and facilitate cooperation across various fields.
Geopolitically, the visit illuminated the true character, essence, and strategic importance of the unbreakable Pakistan-China friendship and the deepening all-weather partnership through discussions on regional peace, stability, and security. Chinese President Xi Jinping's description of Pakistan as an unbreakable friend and his commitment to deepening the all-weather partnership formed the culmination of the visit.
Xi's formal statement that China will always prioritize its ties with Pakistan, along with Sharif's reaffirmation that this ironclad partnership remains the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy, charts the way forward for bilateral relations. It serves as a roadmap for further enhancing economic ties, industrial cooperation, and people-to-people contacts. Sharif's reiteration that the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership has assumed even greater strategic importance in the evolving regional and global environment speaks for itself.
In summary, the visit, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of Pakistan-China diplomatic relations, further strengthened bilateral ties through the signing of numerous MoUs and accelerated the next phase of strategic cooperation under CPEC 2.0. It has given a significant boost to Pakistan's economy, steering it toward greater stability, sustainability, and modernization, with the relocation of quality industries playing a vital role.
Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan, a special commentator for CGTN, is the President of the Center for Knowledge and Public Policy.
