BEIJING, Nov. 7 (APP): Dr Hafeez ur Rehman, a Pakistani electronics engineer, has been selected as one of the 20 Global Youth Leaders at the 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC).
Dr Rehman leads an IT company named ITSOLERA, specializing in practical training in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital literacy. “It is an honour to represent Pakistan at the World Internet Conference and to be part of a global dialogue shaping the future of digital cooperation,” he told China Economic Net. “This forum is not just about technology; it is about how humanity can move forward together through innovation, inclusion and shared values.”
While much of his focus is on youth, education and skills, Dr Rehman emphasises the deepening digital partnership between Pakistan and China, a cooperation that underpins much of the region’s next-wave transformation. According to Pakistan’s Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, Pakistan and China are actively exploring joint ventures in AI, smart cities and digital innovation. For example, a 2025 high-level delegation from China Mobile Communications Corporation visited Pakistan to discuss collaboration on AI-enabled data-centres, 5G rollout and connectivity under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework.
Moreover, China and Pakistan are committed to strengthening cooperation on digital economic infrastructure, digitization, satellite navigation and the Internet. In September, China and Pakistan jointly issued a 2025–2029 action plan aimed at fostering an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, highlighting collaboration in technology, trade, culture, and digital innovation.
Dr Rehman told CEN that his work and Pakistan-China youth innovation cooperation are aligned. “Our nations have the potential to co-lead the next wave of technological transformation, one that not only connects systems, but connects people, opportunities and visions.” He stressed that, through youth-driven innovation, the two countries can turn technological potential into meaningful global progress.
Under the broader global context, Pakistan has been committed to integrating regional and digital trade flows. As noted, Pakistan is among the founding members of the Digital Cooperation Organization, which emphasises connectivity, digital services exports and cross-border digital economy integration. Dr Rehman’s company, ITSOLERA, is oriented toward training programs in cybersecurity, AI and digital literacy, areas that feature heavily in China-Pakistan cooperation priorities.
Participation in WIC gives Dr Rehman a platform to advocate for inclusive, technology-led development embedded within China-Pakistan collaboration. “Technology should not be a privilege for a few; it should be a right and a resource for all,” he stated. Indeed, the Pakistan-China cooperation is not only infrastructure-oriented but increasingly digital-ecosystem-oriented, as a diagnostic report by the Asian Development Bank in July 2025 outlines that Pakistan’s digital ecosystem is rapidly evolving with infrastructure, economy and society elements strengthening.
During the Youth and Digital Future Forum at the 2025 WIC Wuzhen Summit, Dr Rehman and other youth leaders will present perspectives on internet development and governance, highlighting how young innovators, particularly from Pakistan and China, are shaping a digital future defined by openness, harmony and shared prosperity. “The future of digital cooperation is not about competition; it’s about collaboration. Not about power, but about purpose,” Dr Rehman emphasized.