KHAPLU – With local traders describing it as a “happy moment” for the Gilgit-Baltistan region, the first-ever cargo carrying trade goods from China entered Pakistan on Sunday under a new road trade deal between the two neighbouring countries.
The development comes days after the two countries opened an international road transport (TIR) route between China’s inland city of Kashgar and the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, aiming to enhance cross-border trade.
According to a Pakistani customs official, this is the first inaugural TIR trade route between China and Pakistan that highlights a fresh mode of cross-border transport for Xinjiang, potentially setting a precedent for future trade routes within the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
“Two consignments, bound for Afghanistan, have reached the Sost Dry Port under the TIR agreement,” says Imtiaz Hussain, an assistant collector at Pakistan’s Silk Route Dry Port (SRDP) Sost.
“The cargo will be cleared on Monday before leaving for Afghanistan.”
Longtime ally Beijing has pledged over $65 billion in building CPEC infrastructure projects in Pakistan as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The corridor includes a network of roads, railways, pipelines and ports in Pakistan that will connect China to the Arabian Sea and help Islamabad expand and modernize its economy.
Currently, the total volume of trade between China and Pakistan is above $12.06 billion, up nearly 19 percent as compared to 2021 when it stood at $10.14 billion due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Imran Ali, president of the Gilgit-Baltistan Chamber of Commerce, said the new trade route would bring prosperity to the region. “This is a happy moment for us. It will bring prosperity to the region and open the door for different kinds of business opportunities in Pakistan,” he added.
“With the opening of this route, prices of commodities will also be slashed in the future.”
Ali said this would be a “very feasible and shortest way” for Central Asian countries to connect with China. “The opening of this route is a good omen for Pakistani traders,” he said.
