Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab concluded a three-day visit to Shanghai on April 26, marking a significant step in strengthening the sister-city relationship between Pakistan’s economic hub and China’s financial capital.
During his visit, Wahab stressed the strong potential for collaboration between the sister cities. “Karachi is Pakistan’s economic, industrial and financial center,” Wahab said. “There remains great untapped potential for cooperation between our cities. We hope to draw lessons from Shanghai’s development concepts, strengthen economic and trade exchanges, and enhance cooperation in clean energy, water utilization, waste recycling and cultural exchanges.”
The Karachi mayor’s visit included tours of key Shanghai facilities and meetings with local officials. At the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, Wahab discussed port cooperation between Shanghai Port and Karachi Port, which established friendly relations last year.
“What impressed me most is how Shanghai’s government has utilized technology,” Wahab told China Economic Net in an exclusive interview. “Whether it’s traffic management, parking facilities, or transportation systems for air, sea or land – everything is fantastic. They’ve used technology in the best possible way to benefit both citizens and visitors.”
Mayor Wahab hopes to implement similar technological solutions in Karachi. “We want to learn from Shanghai’s experience and replicate their successes to benefit our people, give confidence to investors, and improve services,” he said.
Wahab’s tour of Shanghai-based companies Universal Energy and Tianma Eco-base highlighted Shanghai’s leadership in renewable energy solutions – an area of particular interest for Karachi. “Our city has enormous potential for solar and wind energy projects,” he noted, while emphasizing the urgency of addressing Karachi’s waste management challenges.
“With over 20 million residents, we generate substantial municipal waste. While Chinese companies already assist with collection, we now want to implement Shanghai’s successful waste-to-energy models to create cleaner, cheaper power sources.”
Looking ahead, Wahab announced plans to lead a Karachi business delegation to the 8th China International Import Expo in November. “This will be an excellent opportunity to showcase Karachi’s products and forge stronger trade ties with Shanghai,” he said.
