GUIYANG, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- For many small farmers in Pakistan's Punjab province, the country's most populous province, farming has always felt like a roll of the dice against the whims of the weather. But local farmers may soon see their fortunes change.
Syed Muhammad Ashiq Hussain Shah, Punjab's agriculture minister, is attending the 2026 China International Big Data Industry Expo, which runs through Sunday, in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province. He said his delegation has a clear mission: to find Chinese partners who can help bring AI-powered farming tools to millions of smallholders back home.
According to the Pakistani official, many small farmers in Punjab province lack access to reliable, timely information. Meanwhile, climate change is making weather patterns increasingly erratic, with sudden downpours, prolonged droughts and scorching heat waves adding new risks to agricultural production
Punjab's agricultural authorities are now developing an AI-powered digital monitoring network designed to deliver weather forecasts, crop monitoring and real-time data on soil, water and pest control directly to farmers.
"We want to use AI to monitor the weather, soil and water, and to digitally track crops as well," Shah said. "We also want to use AI for pest control, so that a farmer can simply send a picture of a plant and get help identifying the problem. "
"If farmers can receive this information through a digital platform, they can make better decisions and reduce losses. That is why we see AI as an important tool for improving agricultural productivity and supporting farmers in Punjab," he said.
"That is exactly why we are here -- to find partners and learn from China's experience," he added.
In fact, China and Pakistan, including Punjab, have already shared a solid foundation in agricultural cooperation. Shah said Punjab signed at least six memorandums of understanding following previous visits to China and has been actively following through on them.
Chinese companies have also played a significant role in Punjab's high-tech farm mechanization program. Shah estimated that about 90 percent of the machinery acquired under the program -- including harvesters and tractors -- came from China. Now, this partnership is evolving beyond hardware to include smart technologies and intelligence.
Ali Mustafa Dar, adviser to the chief minister of Punjab on artificial intelligence and special initiatives, observed that China does not treat AI as something separate from economic development, but integrates it across manufacturing, logistics, cities, agriculture, transport and public services.
"China thinks long term. It builds the infrastructure. It experiments and learns. And when something works, it has the capacity to take it to extraordinary scale," he said.
As China's first national comprehensive big data pilot zone, Guizhou offers precisely the kind of experience Punjab is looking for. Dar said Guizhou is particularly interesting because it demonstrates that AI begins with strong data foundations.
Guizhou is a key hub for China's national "East Data, West Computing" project. This national strategy operates similarly to a power grid, shifting the heavy data processing demands of China's economically bustling eastern coast to resource-rich western regions. Crucially, the project utilizes the western region's abundant green energy such as wind and hydropower, making it a major milestone in green technology and carbon reduction.
By late July 2026, Guizhou housed 50 key data centers, with total computing capacity reaching 176.57 EFLOPS. Nearly 98.4 percent of this capacity was dedicated specifically to AI-related computing.
Dar said he is keen to understand how Guizhou has built its data ecosystem -- from infrastructure, data centers and standards to governance, industry and the applications built on top.
Meanwhile, Dar emphasized that their goal is not simply to import technology. His vision of the next stage of cooperation is to deliver concrete results: better public services, stronger local technology companies, and more jobs for young people. "That is what AI cooperation should ultimately achieve," he said.
He expressed hope that such collaboration could eventually provide useful models not only for Pakistan and China, but for other developing countries facing similar challenges.
Shah echoed that the expo offers a great opportunity for the delegation to showcase Punjab, meet potential Chinese partners and explore new areas of cooperation, particularly in AI and digital technologies.
Themed "Token: A New Path to Value of Data Elements," the 2026 China International Big Data Industry Expo has attracted 372 domestic and international companies and over 16,000 registered guests. It showcased new technologies, products, and applications in areas including the token economy, computing power, large model innovation, and data element circulation. ■
