Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz continued her fourth day of her official China visit with a pivotal stop at Huawei Technologies in Shanghai’s Longgang District on Friday, where she received a warm reception. The chief minister announced a decision to collaborate with Huawei to transform Lahore into Pakistan’s first state-of-the-art smart city. She invited Huawei to invest in Pakistan, particularly in Punjab, offering support to establish an office in the Nawaz Sharif IT City. “We are eager to benefit from Huawei’s expertise in telecommunications, electronics, and digitization,” Maryam said, stressing the potential for innovation-driven partnerships. The CM pledged full cooperation to Huawei in setting up an assembly and manufacturing plant in Punjab. She also proposed the establishment of Huawei retail offices and after-sales service centers across the province. During her visit, CM Maryam held discussions with Huawei’s President for Government Affairs, Wang Chengdong. The talks covered topics such as e-commerce, ecosystem production, and the digitization of health and education sectors. Chengdong provided a comprehensive briefing on Huawei’s ongoing projects in Pakistan, particularly in Punjab. The CM expressed keen interest in Huawei’s health and education initiatives, noting their alignment with Punjab’s goals for digital transformation. She highlighted Safe City projects established in Lahore with Huawei’s collaboration and invited the company to expand its role in developing a modern digital ecosystem in the province. “We aim to give Punjab’s youth access to cutting-edge digital technologies through Huawei’s support,” the CM stated. She proposed that Huawei assist in capacity-building initiatives and IT research at Punjab’s first fully AI-powered university. CM Maryam Nawaz emphasized that the vision for Digital Punjab hinges on partnerships with global leaders like Huawei, reiterating her commitment to turning Lahore into a modern digital city. The visit concluded with the chief minister touring Huawei’s facilities and discussing opportunities for further collaboration.