by Zafar Hussain

HANGZHOU, May 24 (China Economic Net) - Zhejiang, China and Punjab, Pakistan on May 23 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a sister-province relationship aimed at expanding cooperation in trade, investment, technology, agriculture, education and cultural exchanges, while both sides also launched a China-Pakistan Technology Research Center at Hangzhou Normal University.

The agreements were signed in Hangzhou in the presence of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Wang Hao, Party Secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee, during the prime minister’s official visit to China.

Under the MoU, the two sides agreed to establish a “Friendship Province Relationship” to strengthen mutual understanding, deepen traditional friendship and promote broader exchanges between the peoples of both regions.

According to the agreement, Punjab and Zhejiang will actively expand cooperation in economic development, trade, investment, agriculture, science and technology, education, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, the digital economy, culture, healthcare and other mutually agreed sectors. The cooperation framework will be guided by the principles of friendship, equality and mutual benefit.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also witnessed the signing of a second cooperation document regarding the establishment of the China-Pakistan Technology Research Center at Hangzhou Normal University, highlighting growing bilateral collaboration in research and innovation.

Officials said the sister-province relationship is expected to create new opportunities for business partnerships, technology transfer, educational cooperation, tourism promotion and people-to-people exchanges under the broader framework of Pakistan-China strategic cooperation.

Zhejiang, one of China’s leading economic and technological hubs, is home to several globally recognized digital economy and e-commerce enterprises. Punjab, Pakistan’s largest province by population and economic output, has increasingly sought international partnerships to accelerate industrial modernization and technological development.

The signing ceremony underscored the continued momentum in Pakistan-China relations and reflected both sides’ commitment to expanding regional cooperation and long-term economic engagement.