Sindh government pursues Chinese tech and investment partnerships

The Sindh government is pursuing new technological and economic partnerships with Chinese entities to improve infrastructure and investment in Pakistan. During a visit to Huawei’s digital urban governance facility in Wuhan, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah proposed developing a flood early warning system and a smart city operations network for Karachi. The project, which is currently in the proposal stage, aims to use real-time data to manage urban flooding, traffic congestion, and waste disposal. Shah emphasized a desire for long-term cooperation involving technology transfer and staff training rather than simple equipment procurement.

In a separate development at the Sindh Investment Conference in Shanghai, 16 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed between the Sindh government and Chinese firms. The conference, attended by approximately 400 representatives from over 100 companies, focused on sectors including wind and solar energy, agriculture, digital development, and Thar Coal. The government is also promoting the Dhabeji Special Economic Zone as part of the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), offering tax exemptions and duty-free machinery to attract industrial growth.