The prime minister left for Hangzhou in the first phase of the visit, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, according to a statement shared by the Government of Pakistan on X.
The Foreign Office said the visit holds special significance as Pakistan and China are celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.
“It will provide an opportunity to reaffirm the abiding strength of the Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership and advance the shared vision of building an even closer Pakistan-China Community with a Shared Future,” the FO stated.
During his stay in Hangzhou, the prime minister is scheduled to meet the Party Secretary of Zhejiang province and chair the Pakistan-China Business-to-Business Investment Conference focusing on information technology, telecom, battery energy storage systems and agriculture.
PM Shehbaz will also witness the signing of agreements and memorandums of understanding between companies from both countries.
Officials said the prime minister is expected to meet executives of major Chinese companies and visit the headquarters of Alibaba Group, where cooperation agreements are also likely to be signed.
In the second phase of the visit, PM Shehbaz will travel to Beijing for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.
The two sides are expected to review cooperation in political, economic and strategic sectors, with particular focus on the high-quality development of CPEC, trade, investment, industrial cooperation, agriculture, information technology, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges.
The Foreign Office said the visit is expected to deepen political trust, strengthen strategic coordination and further consolidate the longstanding friendship between Pakistan and China.
