ISLAMABAD: A Chinese technology firm, IBI Beijing United Technology, will establish its digital economy headquarters in Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said on Friday, in a move likely to boost investment, innovation and cooperation in Pakistan’s growing information technology sector.
China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan and has pledged over $65 billion in investment in road, infrastructure and development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), besides several Chinese private firms undertaking joint ventures in the South Asian country.
An 11-member Chinese business delegation led by Qian Xiaojun, president and controlling shareholder of IBI Beijing United Technology industrial e-commerce and digital platform, called on Sharif in follow-up of the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference held in Beijing in Sept. 2025.
“The Prime Minister appreciated IBI Group’s decision to establish its Pakistan Digital Economy Headquarters in Pakistan and expressed satisfaction at the expanding B2B cooperation between Pakistan and China,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
“He said it was particularly encouraging that IBI would promote digital economy cooperation, investment facilitation and industrial collaboration.”
The government in Pakistan, a country of over 240 million people, has long identified digitization as a key tool to improve governance, reduce corruption and expand the country’s narrow tax base.
Pakistani financial authorities have taken several steps to ensure a transition toward digital economy in recent years, while Sharif said in Feb. the country would invest $1 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) by 2030 to modernize its economy.
Qian expressed confidence in Pakistan’s digitization efforts and said the IBI Group hopes to help build the “backbone for digital transformation” of Pakistan’s economy.
“Establishment of IBI’s Digital Economy Headquarters in Pakistan would be a command center for this transformation and shall provide massive opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan by offering a gateway for them to a vast Chinese market,” he was quoted as saying by Sharif’s office.
The prime minister lauded the progress made by China under President Xi Jinping and said he was looking forward to his visit to China later this month.
