The Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies to formalize and expand academic cooperation between the two institutions. The agreement creates a framework for joint research, policy dialogue, academic exchanges and co-publications aimed at strengthening scholarly and policy-focused ties between Pakistan and China.
The MoU was signed in Shanghai during the High-level Seminar on Development and Cooperation between China and South Asian Countries, an event that convened scholars, experts and policymakers to discuss contemporary global and regional challenges. Senior officials and researchers from both institutions attended the signing ceremony.
Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, Director General of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, and Professor Chen Dongxiao, President of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, signed the document on behalf of their respective organizations. The agreement lays out plans for long-term collaboration across several fields of mutual interest.
Key components of the partnership include joint research projects, structured policy dialogues, reciprocal academic exchanges, collaborative publications and coordinated participation in seminars and conferences at regional and global levels. The MoU is intended to institutionalize cooperation so that collaborative activities can continue systematically over time.
In his remarks, Ambassador Sohail Mahmood emphasized the importance of deeper academic and intellectual engagement between Pakistan and China, especially in light of significant geopolitical and geo-economic shifts. He described the agreement as a strong foundation for sustained knowledge-sharing and collaboration.
Professor Chen Dongxiao welcomed the partnership and affirmed SIIS’s commitment to expanding research cooperation with ISSI across a broad range of themes. He said closer academic linkages would further enrich China–Pakistan relations.
Observers say the ISSI–SIIS partnership represents a notable step toward stronger scholarly and policy-oriented exchanges between the two countries and is expected to enhance bilateral understanding and regional dialogue through joint research, publications and academic cooperation.
