BEIJING: Pakistan’s exports to the southern region of China witnessed a 16 percent growth last year, partly due to the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA) that lowered tariffs as well as events like TEXPO 2023 which further facilitated exports in the agricultural and textile sectors.
This was stated by Zhou Hanmin, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of the Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association.
CPEC increases Pakistan-China bilateral trade
Zhou said that he had visited Pakistan before the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was proposed and deeply felt the sincere emotions of Pakistani people towards China. The CPEC increased the bilateral trade as well as provided considerable economic uplift to Pakistani people.
In his proposal, he suggested implementing specific steps aimed at expanding the export of agricultural products from BRI countries, with a special emphasis on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
LDCs is a classification used by the United Nations to identify and categorize nations that exhibit the lowest levels of socio-economic development. The designation of LDC is based on 3 primary criteria: low income, weak human assets (such as healthcare and education), and economic vulnerability.
Zhou said that last year’s China International Import Expo, he noticed that nearly one-third of the participating nations were LDCs that maintain close and friendly ties with China, consistently offering major support in international affairs.
Zhou further said that this year, he proposed that Beijing must provide more assistance to the exports of goods from these countries. He also suggested the establishment of a special exhibition zone for the LDCs at CIIE, enhancing attractiveness through concentrated exhibitions.
Zhou said that China has complementary resource and industrial relationships with forty-three LDCs that have joined BRI. We should analyze China’s import data for agricultural and food products from these nations and identify their advantageous varieties, he said, adding China has a wealth of expertise in agricultural products, fruits, seafood, and vegetables and it can enhance technical support for these countries by providing assistance and expertise.
