Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday welcomed a high-level Chinese business delegation and expressed satisfaction over the expanding business-to-business cooperation between Pakistan and China, as a major Chinese technology firm announced plans to establish its Pakistan Digital Economy Headquarters in the country.

The prime minister met an 11-member delegation led by Qian Xiaojun, Founder, President and Controlling Shareholder of IBI Beijing United Technology, at the Prime Minister’s House. The visit was a follow-up to the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference held in Beijing in September 2025 during PM Shehbaz’s earlier visit to China.

Welcoming the delegation, the prime minister said Pakistan and China share historic ties as All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partners. He praised the progress made by China under President Xi Jinping’s leadership and said he looked forward to his upcoming visit to China later this month.

PM Shehbaz appreciated IBI Group’s decision to establish its Digital Economy Headquarters in Pakistan, describing the move as particularly encouraging for its potential to promote digital economy cooperation, investment facilitation and industrial collaboration.

Qian Xiaojun expressed confidence in Pakistan’s economy and said IBI aimed to help build the digital backbone for the country’s economic transformation. He described the new headquarters as a command centre for that transformation, adding that it would create significant opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises by offering them direct access to China’s vast market.

The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, IT and Telecom Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervez Malik, SAPM for Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar, SAPM Tariq Fatemi, and other senior officials.