Pakistan and China have signed five agreements to strengthen cooperation in disaster prevention under the China-Pakistan Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Smart Disaster Prevention of Major Infrastructures. The agreements were signed between Southeast University of China and five Pakistani institutions including Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, and University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Peshawar, China Economic Net reported on Wednesday. The cooperation would help advance research in areas including earthquake engineering, structural health monitoring, and disaster risk reduction technologies. It would likely to help establish new research and development facilities in Pakistan, providing a framework for future projects. Both sides called for policy support from their governments and disaster management authorities to ensure the success of the joint initiatives. The agreements also outline plans for talent exchange programmes and joint efforts to develop international standards in disaster prevention technologies.