pak-china-us3r by Liao Yifan
The first China-Pakistan Symposium on Education, Science and Industrial Cooperation was held on January 20, 2026, at COMSTECH headquarters in Islamabad, marking a renewed and more integrated approach to bilateral collaboration.
The meeting was chaired by Senior Professor Zhang Lixin of Northwest A&F University, Chairman of Silkroad Biohealth Agricultural Industry Alliance and Chief Scientist/Director of Shaanxi Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Dryland Biological Resources and Green Smart Agriculture，China, and attended by Khalil Hashmi, Ambassador of Pakistan to China, who delivered the keynote address. More than 50 representatives from government agencies, universities, research institutions, and leading enterprises from both countries participated.
In his opening remarks, Professor Zhang Lixin welcomed the diverse delegation, which included representatives from Shaanxi Province, Chinese national media, faculty and students from Northwest A&F University, as well as officials from Pakistan’s science and technology authorities, universities, and industry.
Discussions focused on agriculture, higher education, and industrial cooperation. Representing Pakistan’s Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Shakil Arshad outlined ongoing collaborations in space science and Traditional Chinese Medicine with Chinese universities, including Nanjing University and Xi’an Jiaotong University.
In his closing remarks, Ambassador Khalil Hashmi described agriculture as a cornerstone of high-quality development under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, emphasizing the strong complementarity between Pakistan’s resources and China’s technological strengths. He also revealed that a major international cooperation program, approved in December 2025, will provide a new platform for future collaboration.
The symposium was followed by a ten-day series of visits by the Chinese delegation across Islamabad, Lahore and other regions. Activities included participation in a Pakistan–China agriculture investment conference, site inspections of farms, food processing and poultry facilities, and meetings with research institutions such as the Pakistan Academy of Sciences and the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute. Several cooperation agreements were signed, and roadmaps were established for joint laboratories, technology transfer centers, and demonstration parks.
Together, the forum and follow-up visits transformed dialogue into practical cooperation, strengthening people-to-people ties and laying a solid foundation for a deeper China-Pakistan partnership as the two countries approach the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
