TIANJIN, CHINA:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to President Xi Jinping’s vision of shared prosperity, declaring that the government’s policies were closely aligned with the philosophy that has transformed China into the world’s second-largest economy.
The Prime Minister spent a busy day in Tianjin, attending a banquet hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping for the leaders of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State summit.
Shehbaz also engaged in informal conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon,
Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Diplomatic observers described the warmth displayed towards Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as “unusually close,” reflecting Pakistan’s fraternal ties with these nations. On the sidelines, Shehbaz also held a substantive bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The two leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Turkiye relations, appreciating the surge in high-level exchanges and cooperation across political, economic, defence, and security domains.
President Erdogan offered condolences over Pakistan’s flood losses and reaffirmed Ankara’s solidarity. Both sides voiced deep concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and pledged joint efforts at international forums to advocate for Palestinian rights.
Earlier, addressing students and faculty at Tianjin University, the prime minister urged young Pakistanis studying in China to equip themselves with the latest knowledge and technology so they could return as “torchbearers of Pakistan-China friendship” and contributors to the nation’s economic and social development.
“You are the architects of Pakistan’s future. Above all, you are the torchbearers of Pakistan-China friendship,” the prime minister told over 200 Pakistani students enrolled at the university, terming them ambassadors of their homeland.
He stressed that Pakistan shared a “common destiny” with China, noting that the enduring friendship had been built on pillars of sincerity, honesty, and mutual trust by previous generations. The prime minister lauded China for lifting 800 million people out of poverty, crediting President Xi’s visionary leadership for inspiring the world.
During his visit to Tianjin University’s National Earthquake Simulation Centre, Shehbaz praised China’s advanced disaster management technologies, urging stronger collaboration through projects such as the Pakistan-China Joint Lab for Disaster Medicine.
The prime minister underscored the importance of applying Chinese expertise to improve Pakistan’s own preparedness against floods and earthquakes, especially in light of the ongoing calamity at home.
He disclosed that additional federal relief convoys had been dispatched to Narowal, Sialkot, Wazirabad, Hafizabad, Chiniot and Jhang to support flood victims, while directing the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to ensure full coordination with provincial authorities.
Parallel to the Prime Minister’s engagements, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Tianjin’s Luban Technical and Vocational Education Exhibition Hall. He discussed expanding Pakistan-China cooperation in vocational training.
He stressed that skill development in emerging industries was vital for sustainable economic growth. He highlighted that the Luban initiative, launched in Lahore in 2018, had already begun shaping Pakistan’s youth in fields such as mechanical engineering, automation and IT.
