SHOUGUANG, APR 20: /DNA/ – Ambassador Khalil Hashmi visited Shouguang city in Shandong province from 19-20 April 2026 to participate in the 27th China (Shouguang) International Vegetable Science & Technology Expo. Shouguang is renowned as China’s “Hometown of Vegetables”. This year, Pakistan was designated as the Guest Country of Honour at the Expo coinciding with the 75th anniversary of Pakistan–China diplomatic relations.

On 19 April, the Ambassador was received by Mayor Zhao Tianbao, who briefed him on Shouguang’s advanced vegetable industry, including its integrated value chains and world-leading smart greenhouse technologies. Ambassador Hashmi highlighted Pakistan’s agricultural strengths and areas requiring investment and technology infusion. Both sides discussed concrete proposals, including collaboration on smart greenhouse demonstration projects and deeper institutional and business linkages.

The Ambassador also visited Shandong Lisente Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. and a Modern Agricultural High-Tech Demonstration Base. These entities showcased cutting-edge, climate-resilient farming practices and greenhouse technology that inter alia increased yield of produce & number of times agriculture products can be grown in a year. Discussions focused on launching pilot projects in Pakistan, particularly in high-tech agriculture and protected cultivation.

On 20 April, Ambassador Hashmi inaugurated the Pakistan National Pavilion at the Expo. He described the Pavilion as a symbol of the enduring friendship between Pakistan and China and a platform to promote business linkages, agricultural collaboration, and people-to-people exchanges. The Pavilion showcased products such as Pakistan’s signature pink rock salt, Basmati rice, pine nuts, biscuits, and handicrafts, jade and other stone decoration pieces and reflected Pakistan’s rich agricultural heritage and Agri-food exports.

While addressing the opening ceremony of the Expo, the Ambassador highlighted Pakistan’s agricultural investment opportunities and encouraged Chinese companies to consider joint ventures in greenhouse technologies, and sustainable food systems. He noted that Shouguang’s achievements in smart agriculture, water-efficient systems, and digital technologies offer valuable models for Pakistan’s agricultural modernization. He also referred to ongoing successful collaboration between Pakistan and Shandong Province, including joint agricultural projects and institutional partnerships in research and training.

Ambassador Hashmi later toured the Expo, commended its professional organization and thoughtfully curated exhibits. Later in the day, he participated in the Symposium on Agricultural Facility Cooperation, where he underscored strong complementarities between Pakistan’s needs and Shouguang’s expertise. He identified priority areas for cooperation, including facility agriculture, greenhouse technologies, water-efficient irrigation, seed development, post-harvest processing, and cold-chain logistics, while highlighting Pakistan’s investor-friendly policies, Special Economic Zones, and strategic market access.

The Ambassador encouraged Chinese enterprises to explore opportunities in Pakistan and reaffirmed the Embassy’s commitment to facilitating partnerships through policy support, matchmaking, and project facilitation.

During the visit, Ambassador Hashmi expressed keen interest in sharing Shouguang’s expertise with Pakistani farmers. He requested relevant materials and proposed organizing a symposium in Pakistan, along with exchange visits of experts, enterprises and farmers.

The visit reaffirmed the shared commitment of Pakistan and China to deepen agricultural cooperation and advance mutually beneficial partnerships in innovative, high-tech, and sustainable farming solutions.