A Chinese company has announced plans to establish a manufacturing plant in Punjab for producing robotic agricultural equipment, marking a significant step in the province’s adoption of modern farming technologies. The announcement was made during Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s ongoing visit to China. On the first day of her visit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Punjab Agriculture Department and China’s AI Force Tech. The MoU outlines the collaboration for the development and production of robotic equipment aimed at enhancing agricultural efficiency in the region. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz witnessed the MoU signing and expressed her government’s full support for the establishment of the robotic plant. The move is expected to modernize the agricultural sector in Punjab, improve productivity, and help address challenges faced by farmers in the province. The Punjab Chief Minister inspected advanced robotic agricultural machinery and tools and reaffirmed her commitment to introducing such innovations in the province’s agriculture sector. Maryam Nawaz stated on the occasion, “Our commitment is to ensure the prosperity of farmers by adopting modern technology in the agriculture sector.” She added that AI Force Tech will establish a robotic agricultural equipment manufacturing plant in Punjab. In this regard, a delegation from AI Force Tech will soon visit Punjab at the invitation of the Chief Minister. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz reached Beijing on Sunday on her eight-day visit to the neighbouring country, the Directorate General of Public Relations of the provincial government said in a press release. The official engagements of the chief minister in China would commence on Monday (today), the press release said, adding that during the visit, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz would pay visit to hospitals, schools and other institutions. The chief minister and her delegation, including Senator Pervez Rashid, Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Information Minister Azma Bokhari, provincial ministers Bilal Akbar and Ashiq Kirmani, received a warm welcome upon arrival at the airport. “Six senior officials of the Communist Party of China were present at the airport to warmly welcome her. Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi and his wife also welcomed her at the airport. A high-level delegation of the Communist Party of China called on CM Punjab,” the press release said. “Pak-China friendship is moving towards greater heights. We want to take Punjab to economic and financial heights with the cooperation of China,” Maryam told the delegation. “On behalf of the Punjab government and the people of Punjab, I would like to extend my gratitude to the people of China.” Separately, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that corruption reflects not only a moral decline but it is a killer of nation’s development. In her message on Anti-Corruption Day being celebrated on Monday, the CM said corruption not only damages national resources but also shakes trust of the people. A zero tolerance policy against corruption has been adopted to eradicate corruption from day one, she noted. Maryam Nawaz called on every individual to play their part in cleansing society of corruption. “Promoting transparency, integrity, and merit is a collective responsibility,” she added.