Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad on Wednesday, urging the expansion of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to foster regional cooperation.

Sharif spoke at the SCO's heads of government meeting, which included officials from 11 countries, such as host Pakistan, China, Russia, and India. He emphasized that projects like President Xi Jinping's BRI should be expanded to focus on developing road, rail, and digital infrastructure, thereby enhancing regional integration and cooperation.

The BRI, a $1 trillion global infrastructure and energy network plan launched by China a decade ago, aims to connect Asia with Africa and Europe through land and maritime routes. Over 150 countries, including Russia, have joined the initiative since its inception. However, some Western nations view the BRI as a means for China to extend its geopolitical and economic influence. In response, the G7 announced a $600 billion plan last year to launch a rival infrastructure development initiative. Critics also argue that the BRI has contributed to unsustainable debt in developing countries.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), part of the BRI, has seen billions of dollars invested in Pakistan for infrastructure projects like road networks, a strategic port, and an airport. Sharif highlighted that CPEC would further enhance cooperation, noting that 40% of the world's population resides in the SCO's 10 full member states. He also advocated for a special development funding mechanism under the SCO.

The SCO meeting marked Pakistan's highest-profile event in years, with seven prime ministers in attendance, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Sharif emphasized that stability in neighboring Afghanistan is crucial for realizing trade opportunities for SCO member states. India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also attended, marking the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in nearly a decade. Although no bilateral meetings were planned, Sharif and Jaishankar had a brief conversation at a dinner hosted by the Pakistani premier.

In his speech, Jaishankar congratulated Pakistan on its SCO presidency and expressed India's full support. He stressed that regional cooperation should be based on mutual respect, territorial integrity, and sovereignty, cautioning that activities characterized by terrorism, extremism, and separatism would hinder trade, energy flows, connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges.