BEIJING: The Khunjerab Pass in Xinjiang, China, experienced a significant rise in cross-border traffic in the first half of this year, with 21,000 travelers, representing a 110% year-on-year increase.
On June 11, the port cleared 1,123 people in a single day, breaking the previous record.
The Khunjerab Border Inspection Station, under the Xinjiang Entry-Exit Border Inspection General Station, attributes this remarkable growth to the increasing number of Pakistani traders and cross-border tourists, Chinese media reported.
The enhanced travel enthusiasm among Chinese travelers has been fueled by the National Immigration Administration’s revised and optimized entry-exit management policies, which introduced a series of facilitation measures.
Pakistani merchants have been actively transporting goods such as pine nuts, herbs, copperware, carpets, and jade crafts to China for sale, while bringing back daily necessities to Pakistan. Khunjerab Pass is the sole land port between China and Pakistan, playing a pivotal role in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The port’s advantageous geographical location, being approximately 270 kilometers from Gilgit and 870 kilometers from Islamabad, positions it as a crucial conduit for international trade and cross-border tourism between the two nations.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said that a new era of cooperation with China commenced in areas of information technology, communication, minerals and mining; and energy which would boost economic progress, regional connectivity and the bilateral ties.
Chairing a meeting to review implementation of agreements and MOUs between the two countries reached during PM’s recent visit to China, the prime minister said that he would not tolerate any disruption in the implementation of the same, declaring that he would personally supervise the process.
Referring to time-tested Pak-China friendship, he said that China had always supported Pakistan in difficult and hard times. “China has emerged as the strongest economic power and Pakistan can emulate its development,” he added.
The prime minister observed that recently a delegation of Chinese shoes manufacturing companies had visited Pakistan with regard to relocation of their plants in Pakistan, adding that such companies had the capacity to invest about 5 to 8 billion dollars in Pakistan, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
He said that the local shoes manufacturers association was in constant contact with the Chinese companies in this regard. Moreover, he said about 12 renowned Chinese companies related to agriculture sector would be taking very active part in the Food and Agri Expo being held in Pakistan.
The prime minister also reviewed progress on sending a total of 1,000 Pakistan students on government scholarships to China for seeking the latest training in the agriculture sector. He also directed for sending of students from the backward areas of Balochistan province on priority basis, besides other students from the four provinces, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir on merit.
