Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday discussed stronger city-to-city cooperation with Shanghai Mayor Zhu Zhongming, proposing a sister-city relationship between Karachi and Shanghai and seeking Chinese expertise in smart-city planning, urban development and digital governance.
During his meeting with the Shanghai mayor, the Chief Minister said Karachi and Shanghai, as major commercial and port cities, could benefit from greater cooperation in urban planning, transport, technology, infrastructure development and investment.
He proposed establishing a formal sister-city partnership between Karachi and Shanghai to provide a framework for regular exchanges between the two cities and cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
Mr Shah highlighted major urban development initiatives being pursued in Karachi, including the Karachi Circular Railway and the development of technology and IT-related infrastructure.
He invited Shanghai to share its experience in integrated urban planning, public transport, digital services and smart-city management with Karachi.
The Chief Minister said Sindh was keen to learn from Shanghai’s experience in using technology to improve urban services and make cities more efficient, connected and responsive to citizens’ needs.
The two sides also discussed opportunities for strengthening economic and investment links between Sindh and Shanghai, particularly through business-to-business contacts and institutional cooperation.
Mayor Zhu Zhongming welcomed the proposed cooperation and discussed the potential for closer engagement between Shanghai and Karachi. Zhu was appointed Shanghai’s vice-mayor and acting mayor in September 2026. (?Shanghai Municipal Government)
In a major leap toward technological transformation, the Government of Sindh has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with global tech giant Huawei to establish Pakistan’s first AI-native digital province.
The agreement- finalised during Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah’s high-level visit to Huawei’s Lianqiu Lake R&D Center in Shanghai- shifts the provincial government’s strategy from mere technology procurement to a deep, collaborative partnership. The comprehensive pact encompasses full e-governance digitisation, provincial cloud and data center infrastructure, smart city solutions, and large-scale ICT skills training for Sindh’s youth.
Addressing the signing ceremony, CM Murad Ali Shah emphasised the transformative nature of the alliance. “This marks an important shift, from purchasing technology to building it together through joint projects, local capacity, and skills for our youth,”* he stated, committing his government’s highest-level support to ensure the partnership delivers tangible results for citizens. The MoU was signed by Special Assistant to the CM Syed Qasim Naveed, in the presence of Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Chairman of Huawei Pakistan. The framework covers extensive collaboration in Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Smart Cities, Digital Government, and AI-Native Smart Parks.
Addressing the signing ceremony, CM Murad Shah emphasised the transformative nature of the alliance: “This marks an important shift-from purchasing technology to building it together through joint projects, local capacity, and skills for our youth.”
Partnership rooted in research and innovation
Paying tribute to Huawei’s formidable research credentials, the Chief Minister noted that a firm consistently investing over a fifth of its revenue into R&D “has earned its place among the world’s foremost technology leaders.”
Huawei, founded in Shenzhen in 1987 as a private company wholly owned by its employees, reported 2025 revenues of CNY 880.9 billion and a net profit of CNY 68 billion. Demonstrating an aggressive commitment to future tech, the company invested CNY 192.3 billion in R&D in 2025 alone – amounting to 21.8 percent of its revenue – and has channeled more than CNY 1.38 trillion into research over the past decade.
In Pakistan, Huawei is led by CEO Ethan Sun and plays a pivotal role in national ICT capacity-building. This includes a major initiative with the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) to train 300,000 young Pakistanis, alongside the September 2026 launch of Pakistan’s first national-level telecom equipment repair center in Islamabad.
CM Murad Shah also thanked Huawei for arranging a prior delegation visit to its Global Model Site in Wuhan, noting that it had “left a deep impression” on the provincial leadership.
Inside Huawei’s Lianqiu Lake
The signing took place at the Lianqiu Lake R&D Center, which officially opened in 2024 in Jinze Town, Qingpu District, western Shanghai. Spanning roughly 2,400 mu (about 160 hectares) with 2.06 million square meters of floor space, the campus represents an investment of over CNY 10 billion (approx. US$1.4 billion).
Designed to house 30,000 to 35,000 researchers and engineers across eight zones connected by an internal light-rail system known as the “Red Train,” the facility focuses on breakthroughs in semiconductor design, wireless 5G/6G technologies, intelligent automotive solutions, and digital energy.
From Wuhan to Karachi
Drawing parallels with Wuhan-where advanced technology enables city managers to identify urban issues in real time and mitigate crises before they escalate- the Chief Minister stressed that Karachi, a metropolis of over 20 million people, desperately needs similar capabilities.
“The Sindh government is determined to make Sindh Pakistan’s leading digital province, with smart, data-driven governance in Karachi and across our cities, and a young workforce fully prepared for the digital economy,” he asserted.
Four first-year priorities
To translate the vision into practical action, CM Murad Shah proposed four concrete priorities for the first year of the partnership:
A pilot city-operations and flood early-warning platform in Karachi, adapting lessons from Wuhan’s smart city model.
A roadmap for a Sindh government cloud and data center, incorporating robust disaster recovery, cybersecurity, and AI computing infrastructure.
An innovation and training center at Karachi Education City, featuring an R&D presence and an AI-native smart park.
ICT skills training and certification for Sindh’s students, delivered in close partnership with provincial universities.
Furthermore, he proposed establishing a joint working group with designated focal persons from both sides to ensure timely progress, operating under a mutually agreed first-year work plan.
Objectives for Sindh
The overarching agenda of the agreement focuses on transitioning from technology procurement to an active technology partnership involving joint pilots, capacity building, and knowledge transfer. Securing Huawei’s backing for an innovation hub and AI-native smart park at Karachi Education City. Executing technical cooperation for government cloud architecture, data centers, and cybersecurity and Equipping local youth with certified, industry-standard ICT skills.
Reiterating his personal and governmental commitment to the partnership, the Chief Minister concluded the ceremony with a clear metric for success: “Let us measure its success not by the signatures on this document, but by the services delivered to our citizens and the opportunities created for our young people.”
Expressing gratitude for Huawei’s hospitality and confidence in Sindh, CM Murad Shah extended an official invitation to the Huawei team to visit Karachi and cement a lasting alliance.