• Pharmaceutical firms sign $440m deals
• Agreements cover vaccine production, biotechnology, technology transfer
• Premier hopes private-sector collaboration will boost local industry
• Envoy says 29 Pakistani pharma products have entered Chinese market

ISLAMABAD: Prime Mini­ster Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan was “paramount” and assured Chinese investors that the government would leave no stone unturned to provide them with the best possible protection, as Pakistani and Chinese pharmaceutical companies signed nine agreements worth more than $440 million.

“I would like to say with fullest force at my command that the security of Chinese brothers and sisters in Pakistan is paramount for us. It is most important. And we will leave no stone unturned to provide them with the best possible security,” he said while addressing the Pakistan-China Pharmaceutical and Healthcare B2B Investment Conference in Islamabad.

The prime minister welcomed the signing of the agreements, saying private-sector collaboration between the two countries would significantly boost Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry.

He said China was Pakis­tan’s most trusted and time-tested friend, whose economic and strategic progress had become an example for the world.

The conference was atten­ded by federal ministers, special assistants to the prime minister, senior government officials, the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, and representatives of leading Pakistani and Chinese pharmaceutical companies.

Welcoming participants and investors from both countries, the prime minister said the conference had resulted in the signing of nine agreements worth over $440m between pharmaceutical companies of Pakistan and China.

The agreements cover local vaccine production, biotechnology, pharmaceutical manufacturing, technology transfer and hepatitis prevention, while a separate agreement was also signed to strengthen cooperation under Pakistan’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation.

He appreciated the efforts of the business communities of both countries, Federal Minister for National Health Services Mustafa Kamal, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan, the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan and Pakistan’s ambassador to China for facilitating the agreements.

Expressing confidence that the agreements would be successfully implemented, PM Shehbaz described China as Pakistan’s most reliable and longstanding friend, recalling that Beijing had stood by Islamabad during every difficult time and had played a vital role in the country’s economic development.

He noted that China had consistently supported Pakis­tan at international forums and had invested around $30bn un­der the first phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The prime minister thanked the Chinese leadership for its unwavering support and pra­ised Chinese President Xi Jinping as a visionary leader who had transformed Chinese society and economy.

He said China’s achievements in both economic and strategic fields were remarkable and commended the Chi­nese people for their dedication to education, research and development and innovation.

He observed that the pharmaceutical sector offered tremendous opportunities for investment and growth, adding that cooperation in manufacturing, vaccine production, and research and development between investors of both cou­n­tries would help strengthen all segments of Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry.

Referring to the recent reg­ional crisis, the prime minister said it had created major challenges for the world. He said Pakistan had played an important mediating role between the US and Iran, with valuable support from China and other friendly countries. He said President Xi had whol­e­heartedly backed these efforts.

The prime minister said Pakistan was serving as the mediator in the Islamabad Memorandum of Under­standing concluded between the United States and Iran. He paid tribute to Field Marshal Asim Munir for his tireless efforts, saying history would remember his role.

Reaffirming the strength of Pakistan-China relations, the prime minister said the friendship between the two countries was “higher than the Hima­layas, sweeter than honey and stronger than steel”.

Welcoming around 300 Chinese delegates participating in the pharmaceutical conference, he assured them that the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan remained the government’s highest priority. “Chinese citizens are our honoured guests and their happiness is our happiness,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal acknowledged the role played by Pakistan’s ambassador to China in facilitating the conference and guiding effo­rts to strengthen cooperation in different areas of the pharmaceutical industry.

He said Pakistan and China possessed enormous potential for collaboration across various sectors.

Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong hoped that ongoing development projects in Pak­istan would create more than 20,000 jobs.

He said 29 Paki­stani pharmaceutical pr­od­ucts had already entered the Chinese market. He added that China would continue serving as a bridge between the business communities of both countries. He urged Chinese companies operating in Pakistan to fully comply with local laws.

SAPM Haroon Akhtar des­cribed China’s extraordinary transformation as one of the most remarkable development stories of the modern era.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2026