- Chinese tech giants, NUST of Pakistan join for advancement of Digital Silk Road, Digital CPEC, Digital Economy
- Chinese tech giants, Huawei and ZTE, sign cooperation agreement with NUST to establish Zheng He Development Centre in Islamabad for Job Placement of Pakistani Students in Chinese Companies across the globe.
- NUST to play vital role for promotion of digital Pakistan vision, advancement of digital CPEC: Officials
By: Muhammad Arif, Editor NSN.Asia
Zheng He Development Centre will be established in collaboration a Chinese partner company, Jiangsu Shengxianglin Stock Holding Co, China, at NUST.
“Focusing on capacity building and skill development of students, the centre will conduct technical trainings in the cutting-edge fields and facilitate placement of Pakistani students in leading Chinese companies across the globe”, officials stated while pledging to play a pivotal role in developing skill-focused expertise of trainees.
The agreement signing ceremony for the Zheng He Development Centre was held on Thursday in NUST Islamabad campus, and attended by representatives from NUST, and Chinese industry giants like Huawei and ZTE.
Highlighting the role of Zheng He Development Centre, Dr Osman Hasan, NUST Pro-Rector Academics, stated “these trainings would facilitate qualified individuals’ access to international career opportunities”.
“The opening of Zheng He Development Centre project at NUST is a manifestation of deep educational and cultural ties between Pakistan and China, and is aimed at further strengthening cooperation between NUST and Chinese companies working in the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan, Dr Osman emphasized.
Since the launch of Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, Chinese companies have expanded their footprints in the infrastructure development projects across Middle East and MENA region. These companies require well-skilled work force for the success. Pakistan, being a cooperation partner of BRI under CPEC, can facilitate Chinese companies by providing highly quality work force.
Chinese tech giant, Huawei’s LEAP digital skills development programme can help to advance the ICT skills of youth. LEAP, an acronym for Leadership, Employability, Advancement and Possibilities, is aimed at fostering strong digital leadership and a skilled ICT workforce, building a digital talent pool, and promoting digital literacy among citizens. It includes a wide range of activities spanning from ICT training and certification courses, government digital capacity building and ICT skills competitions.
Also, Huawei has helped increase youth employability and bridge the gap in academia and the ICT industry.
“Pakistanis are the second biggest nationality employed in Huawei,” stated Mr. Wang Shunli, President of Huawei (Middle East Region) who called on Planning Minister Prof Ahsan Iqbal in in Islamabad in May2024.
Highlighting Pakistan’s potential to emerge as a key player in the competitive digital economy, Vice CEO of Huawei, said “It is projected that developed economies will witness a significant surge in their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stemming from digital advancements. According to leading experts, more than 30% of the GDP of developed nations is expected to be driven by digital innovation and infrastructure by the coming decade”.
Opening of Zheng He Development Centre at NUST can be catalyst for the Digital Pakistan Initiative to prompt digital development in various projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Phase II.
China and Pakistan cooperation under Digital CPEC can bring robust digital transformation in digital economy, digital connectivity, data and smart governance besides fueling economic growth and ensuring Pakistani youth’s global competitiveness in the digital age.
Pakistan Prime Minister during his recent visit to China, visited Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen, the Silicon Valley of China. PM commended innovation in Huawei’s operations and encouraged Huawei to expand its investments in Pakistan’s e-governance, digital banking, and telecommunications.
According sources of Pakistan’s IT ministry, Huawei has signed cooperation partnership to train 200,000 students in the field of IT and cloud services in Pakistan.
In 2024, Pakistan’s digital economy recorded robust growth with surge of ICT services export remittances seen scaling up to US$ 298 million in the month of June, 2024, an astounding increase of 32.44% in comparison to US$ 225 million in June 2023.
Under B2B cooperation partnership, numerous Chinese companies have expressed deep interest in expanding investment in mobile phone manufacturing, electric bikes, advanced agriculture, and fintech sectors.
With the collaboration of Chinese partners like Huawei and ZTE, Pakistan can become a big trading zone for the large user-base of Middle Eastern countries through Digital CPEC strategy which envisions pivotal role of digital advancement in shaping the future of Pakistan’s economy.
