Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday addressed students at Tianjin University, one of the oldest institution of higher education in the modern history of China, founded in 1895 as Peiyang University.
Prime Minister Sharif lauded the visionary leadership of President Xi Jinping, particularly his commitment to eradicating poverty and corruption — values that the Pakistani government, he said, also embraces. “In nearly a year and a half of our governance, there has not been a single allegation of corruption against my government,” he emphasized, crediting transparency, accountability, and hard work as cornerstones of national progress.
In a powerful speech that traced the friendship between the two nations back to the ancient Silk Road and the Gandhara civilization, Prime Minister Sharif reaffirmed that the Pakistan-China relationship is a “friendship higher than the Himalayas and stronger than steel.” He underscored that this bond is built on mutual respect, shared values, and enduring cooperation.
“Pakistan was the first Muslim country to recognize the People’s Republic of China,” he reminded the audience, citing key historical milestones, including PIA’s first international flight to Beijing and the construction of the Karakoram Highway, one of China’s earliest foreign infrastructure partnerships.
Drawing from the timeless poetry of Allama Iqbal, the Prime Minister referenced prophetic verses that foresaw China’s rise as a global power. “Iqbal saw the bubbling potential of the Chinese nation nearly 100 years ago — today, it has become a reality,” he said, praising China for lifting over 800 million people out of poverty and becoming a global economic and military powerhouse.
Highlighting education and skills development as key pillars of future cooperation, the Prime Minister announced that under his administration, Pakistan has already sent 1,000 agricultural graduates to China to learn modern techniques. He stated that 600 of these students are either under training or have completed their programs, and the rest will follow.
“Vocational training is the name of the game,” he declared, urging Chinese universities and companies to help Pakistan build large-scale vocational centers across all provinces, including Punjab, Sindh, KP, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir.
With over 60% of Pakistan’s population under the age of 30, Prime Minister Sharif emphasized the need to turn the country’s “youth bulge” from a challenge into an opportunity. “We are ready to spend from our own pockets because investing in our youth is not an expenditure — it’s an investment that will pay dividends for generations.”
He also praised companies like Huawei for supporting technical training programs in Pakistan and expressed hopes for further collaboration in AI and IT-led education initiatives.
Quoting Confucius, the Prime Minister concluded his speech by stating, “The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue,” and declared that the friendship between Pakistan and China embodies these very traits.
“As we approach the 75th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, the baton of this great friendship now passes to our youth — both Chinese and Pakistani. Carry it forward with pride.”
