Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake a three-day official visit to China from May 23 to 26, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Tuesday. The visit comes amid expanding bilateral engagement between the two countries and ongoing regional diplomatic developments. Officials say the trip will focus on strengthening economic and strategic cooperation.

Dar made the announcement during a ceremony in Islamabad launching the IBI Pakistan Digital Economy Centre. He said the prime minister would also attend a business-to-business forum during the visit. The engagement is expected to bring together key stakeholders from both countries.

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Meanwhile, Pakistan and China continue to deepen their longstanding partnership across trade, energy, defence and infrastructure sectors. Recent high-level exchanges include President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to China earlier this month. Both sides have also marked progress on multiple agreements and memoranda of understanding.

Furthermore, the visit comes at a time of increased regional diplomatic activity involving major global powers. The United States and China are also engaged in high-level talks during the same period. Pakistan has meanwhile been involved in facilitating regional diplomatic engagement on Iran-related tensions.

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Overall, officials describe the upcoming visit as part of a broader push toward digital transformation and economic modernization. The focus includes innovation, climate resilience, agriculture and smart city development under expanded cooperation frameworks. The trip is expected to further strengthen the Pakistan-China strategic partnership.