China-Pakistan Science and Technology cooperation center inaugurated in Beijing

BEIJING:

In a milestone move to boost bilateral cooperation in science and technology (S&T), an S&T cooperation centre was launched in a webinar held in Beijing on Monday.

The S&T centre was initiated by the Zhongguancun Belt and Road Industrial Promotion Association (ZBRA) and Pakistan’s Special Technology Zone Authority (STZA).

Speaking at the forum, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Moinul Haque said that information technology emerged as an important area of China-Pakistan cooperation during the recent visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as reflected in the establishment of the S&T joint working group under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The envoy added that the S&T centre would be a significant move towards enhanced bilateral cooperation.

In his speech, ZBRA President Zhang Xiaodong mentioned that “taking the centre as a platform, we will mobilise all parties in China and Pakistan, especially hi-tech enterprises and institutions, to develop and gather resources for science and technology cooperation”.

He added that a delegation of Chinese S&T enterprises would be formed for a visit to Pakistan next year for in-depth field investigation.

Terming the S&T centre a “liaison office for Chinese enterprises”, an STZA officer noted that apart from boosting innovations, people-to-people and student-to-student cooperation channels, the centre will also build a business-to-business platform for the transfer of technology, collaboration and cross-border investments.

It is learnt that the centre will focus on cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, robotics, financial technology, blockchain and biotechnology.