Islamabad: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz marked the fourth day of her official visit to China with an important stop at Huawei Technologies in Shanghai’s Longgang district on Friday. It received a warm reception and announced a strategic partnership with Huawei to transform Lahore into Pakistan’s first modern smart city.
Inviting Huawei to invest in Pakistan, especially in Punjab, the Prime Minister offered full support to set up an office in Nawaz Sharif IT City.
Maryam Nawaz said: “We are keen to benefit from Huawei’s experience in the field of communications, electronics and digital innovation,” stressing the possibility of establishing partnerships that drive technological progress.
The Prime Minister pledged full cooperation with Huawei in setting up assembly and manufacturing plants in Punjab. In addition, it proposed setting up Huawei retail offices and after-sales service centers throughout the province.
During her visit, Maryam Nawaz held talks with Huawei’s President of Government Affairs, Wang Zhengdong, to discuss areas such as e-commerce, ecosystem development, and digitization of the health and education sectors. Cheng Dong provided insights into Huawei’s ongoing projects in Pakistan, especially in Punjab, and highlighted successful collaborations such as the Safe City initiatives in Lahore.
The Prime Minister expressed keen interest in Huawei’s role in developing digital health and education systems, which is in line with Punjab’s vision for digital transformation. She stressed the importance of enabling the province’s youth to access cutting-edge digital technologies, and suggested helping Huawei with capacity building initiatives and IT research in Punjab’s first fully AI-powered university.
Maryam Nawaz reiterated her commitment to Punjab’s digital vision, emphasizing the pivotal role of global partnerships with industry leaders such as Huawei.
The visit concluded with a tour by the Prime Minister of Huawei facilities and exploration of further cooperation opportunities to make Lahore a beacon of innovation and technological progress.