Pakistan, China Deepen Cooperation in Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Skills Development

Islamabad, 1 July: The Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing hosted a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Symposium on Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare and Biotechnology under the theme, “Building Partnerships for Skills Development, Industry Integration and Investment Facilitation.” The event served as a preparatory platform for the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference on Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare and Biotechnology, scheduled to take place in Karachi from July 17 to 19, 2026.

Speaking at the symposium, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi, said the event marked the next phase of the Pakistan-China TVET Initiative by integrating vocational education with investment promotion and industrial collaboration. He highlighted Pakistan’s demographic strength, noting that over 60 percent of the country’s 240 million population is under the age of 30, offering immense potential to become a regional hub for pharmaceutical, healthcare and biotechnology industries.

The ambassador said the initiative aims to engage leading Chinese vocational institutions and enterprises in promoting workforce training, apprenticeships and long-term institutional partnerships.

Addressing the symposium virtually, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Prof. Ahsan Iqbal reaffirmed the enduring Pakistan-China friendship and reiterated the government’s commitment under the Uraan Pakistan vision to build a competitive, knowledge-driven economy.

He stressed the need for joint training programmes, university-industry collaboration, faculty and student exchanges, certification initiatives and Pakistan-China Centres of Excellence to develop a future-ready workforce for emerging industries.