Pakistan’s Emerging Technologies Lab and China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) signed a memorandum of understanding on October 23, 2025, to strengthen collaboration in quantum technology research, development, and innovation. The MoU was signed during a visit by a high-level CETC delegation to Islamabad and took place in the presence of Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, according to a Press Information Department release.
Under the agreement, CETC will assist Pakistan in establishing the National Center for Quantum Computing (NCQC). The collaboration is expected to include research partnerships, joint initiatives, expert exchange, and skills training, as reported by Business Recorder. The Emerging Technologies Lab is a Public Sector Development Programme-funded project under the Ministry of Planning.
Minister Iqbal said the MoU represented a new chapter in Pakistan-China scientific relations and that technological cooperation is a key pillar of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’s second phase (CPEC-II), which prioritizes industrial modernization, digital transformation, and human resource development. He also referenced the ongoing Quantum Valley Project and the broader Uraan Pakistan initiative focused on science and digital transformation.