Ishaq Dar to sign AI cooperation body agreement in Shanghai as Pakistan joins as founding member

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will visit Shanghai on July 16 and 17 to take part in the signing ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, the Foreign Office said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said Dar is travelling with a delegation at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. He will attend the signing ceremony and sign the agreement on behalf of Pakistan, which is joining the organisation as a founding member.

The statement added that Dar will also attend the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and the high-level meeting on global AI governance on July 17.

Meetings on the sidelines

According to the Foreign Office, Dar is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Wang Yi on the sidelines of the conference. He is also expected to meet other officials to discuss issues of mutual interest.

The Foreign Office said Dar will present Pakistan’s position on expanding international cooperation in artificial intelligence, with a particular focus on the priorities and development requirements of the Global South.

He will stress the need to narrow the global divide in artificial intelligence, improve fair access to AI technologies, strengthen capacity-building and ensure that AI supports sustainable development and shared prosperity.

Pakistan’s earlier support for the initiative

The Chinese-led initiative was announced last July at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, where Chinese Premier Li Qiang highlighted the need for governance and open-source development and unveiled plans for an international AI cooperation body.

During Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s four-day visit to China in May this year, Pakistan had expressed support for China’s plan to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation.

Of that visit, Islamabad said it viewed the initiative as a practical move to promote the development of artificial intelligence for good and for all. Pakistan also pledged to work with Beijing to advance global governance and international cooperation in the field of AI.