Gulian Launches Pakistan Digital Economy Headquarters, 'Digital Silk Road' Fuels Global Expansion of 'Made in China'

[Ebrun Original] 2026 marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) entering a high-quality development phase known as CPEC 2.0. On May 13th, a high-level unveiling ceremony was held in Islamabad, officially launching the IBI Pakistan Digital Economy Headquarters of Gulian. Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, attended the event and delivered a keynote speech. Officials from the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, heads of various Pakistani ministries, and representatives from over 200 leading enterprises from both countries gathered to witness this milestone.

At a time when the global expansion of industrial internet platforms is accelerating, the significance of this event extends far beyond the overseas expansion of a single Chinese private enterprise. It signals a new highlight in the 'going global' strategy of Chinese industrial internet platforms—a shift towards 'leading entire industrial clusters abroad' and moving towards collaborative, cluster-based internationalization. Pakistan serves as Gulian's first key landing point for this strategy.

In his speech, Deputy Prime Minister Dar used a powerful analogy: 'Today, we are moving from roads to networks, from physical infrastructure to digital architecture. We are building a Digital Silk Road.' This statement not only signifies endorsement of Gulian's project but also conveys Pakistan's strategic pivot in the CPEC 2.0 phase—shifting focus from large-scale infrastructure investments towards digital economy, industrial collaboration, and technology transfer.

The core logic behind Gulian's expansion into Pakistan is not traditional commodity export. Instead, it leverages its industrial internet platform as a vehicle to facilitate the cluster-based global expansion of domestic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). As a leading industrial internet platform in China, Gulian operates a B2B e-commerce platform covering over 100 industrial sectors. The newly established IBI Pakistan Digital Economy Headquarters integrates multiple functions including trade facilitation, investment promotion, supply chain digitization, SME empowerment, and policy dialogue. It represents a key strategic initiative to promote cross-border industrial clusters as the company's 'third growth curve,' positioning itself as a core vehicle for China-Pakistan industrial digital cooperation.

Gulian's founder, Qian Xiaojun, stated on-site that the headquarters will rely on its mature '6 N' full-link service system to provide one-stop, end-to-end services for enterprises from both countries, including cross-border transactions, smart logistics, digital supply chain construction, cloud-AI empowerment, joint venture project facilitation, and investment compliance assurance. It will also establish a China-Pakistan business council exchange platform. The construction of this platform aims to address three core pain points for SMEs going global: information asymmetry leading to blind spots in overseas markets, prohibitive entry costs for individual companies acting alone, and operational risks stemming from a lack of compliance safeguards.

Accompanying the conference and the launch of the Digital Economy Headquarters, Gulian led a Chinese business delegation on a six-day intensive tour across Pakistan. The delegation visited Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad for industry matchmaking and project negotiations, covering key complementary sectors such as chemicals, textiles, renewable energy, building materials, electronics, and automotive. Over 110 cooperation agreements were signed. Furthermore, 21 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed focusing on the digital economy, cross-border trade, and industrial collaboration, with these partnerships rapidly translating into concrete orders and implementation projects.

Against the backdrop of accelerated global value chain restructuring, the establishment of Gulian's Pakistan Digital Economy Headquarters not only injects new digital momentum into China-Pakistan economic and trade cooperation but also sets an observable benchmark for the global expansion of Chinese industrial internet platforms. It demonstrates a viable path: industrial internet platforms can indeed become the new infrastructure facilitating the global reach of 'Made in China.' The Digital Silk Road is transitioning from vision to reality, and the power of China's industrial internet is systematically exporting the competitive advantages of Chinese manufacturing to the global market.