Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during a meeting with the Chinese ambassador on Wednesday, stressed the need to follow up on memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed during a recent visit to China, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.

On May 24 in Hangzhou, the premier chaired the opening ceremony of the third Pakistan-China Business-to-Business (B2B) Investment Conference, which was focused on “charging infrastructure, battery energy storage and solar technologies, and pharmaceuticals”. Agreements and MoUs worth more than $7 billion were signed between the two sides at the conference to promote cooperation and investment in various sectors.

The PMO, in the statement, said Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong called on the premier at PM House and congratulated him on Eidul Azha, with PM Shehbaz expressing gratitude for his “efforts to make the visit successful, in every aspect”.

“While conveying his firm resolve to ensure the further strengthening of Pakistan-China All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, the Prime Minister emphasised the need to immediately initiate necessary actions for follow-up on the important decisions taken during his visit to China,” the statement read.

“He particularly stressed upon the need to expand cooperation in key areas under CPEC 2.0, particularly agriculture, IT, industries, including SEZs, and mines and minerals.”

PM Shehbaz additionally noted that it was now on both sides to work together and deliver on decisions taken by the leaders of both countries.

The PMO further stated that the fast-tracking of the KKH (Karakoram Highway) realignment project, the expansion of security, counter-terrorism and defence cooperation, as well as economic and financial support, were among the topics discussed during the meeting.

Pakistan and China have maintained ‘ironclad’ diplomatic relations and a longstanding strategic partnership with ties ranging across different sectors — including trade, energy, defence, and infrastructure.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, with events commemorating the occasion held in both countries.

During his visit to China, PM Shehbaz hailed 75 years of “glorious partnership” in diplomatic relations, stating, “The credit goes to our founding fathers who worked very hard to build this relationship over the last more than seven decades.”