Malik’s statement came during an economic and trade event on the sidelines of the 8th Silk Road International Expo currently taking place in China.

“Top companies from Pakistan specialising in upstream, midstream, and downstream petroleum and coal companies are looking to work with Shaanxi Companies to collaborate through investment, joint ventures, and technology transfer said a news release received here,” Malik said.

He added that it was a part of Pakistan’s broader effort to attract foreign direct investment to bolster infrastructure and energy production which are crucial areas for the country’s socioeconomic development.

He also emphasised efforts to deepen provincial-level cooperation, focusing on enhancing business-to-business (B2B) linkages across sectors such as mining, petroleum and energy, and technology.

The petroleum minister said that the expo was not just “a celebration of trade and investment” but also “a celebration of the spirit of cooperation that defines the relationship between Pakistan and China”.

He added that the infrastructure projects of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — said to be worth $65 billion — and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) were platforms for peace, prosperity, and development for the entire world.

The minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working together to create shared growth, sustainable development, and enduring friendship for beneficial cooperation.

Malik said that the Xian and Shaanxi provinces were significant starting points of the ancient Silk Road and the BRI.

The minister added that Pakistan’s participation in the expo was a tangible follow-up to the visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Xian earlier this year.

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“Our long-standing friendship and strategic partnership is forged in a high degree of mutual trust, mutual benefit, and mutual support,” the minister said.

He added, “We are resolved to further our ironclad relationship with China in energy, economy, investment, trade and other areas.”

While appreciating the strong and expanding partnership between Pakistan and China, the minister emphasised the importance of bilateral economic cooperation, particularly of the CPEC, which remains central to Pakistan’s growth strategy.