ISLAMABAD ( MEDIA REPORT )
Pakistan and China have launched first rail and sea freight service starting from the first cargo train leaving from Chinese province of Yunnan for Karachi.
The first train with 500 tonnes of commodities left on Wednesday from Kunming, capital of Yunnan for Port Qasim in Karachi. It marks the opening of new trade route between Pakistan and China.
The new trade service will cut transport costs to 50 per cent compared to previous services and will help local firms to export their products, reported Xinhua News Agency of China.
Besides economic benefits from the new trade service, it is expected that people-to-people relations will improve between Pakistan and China. “It opens up an opportunity for people to know Yunnan,” said a Chinese official while talking to Xinhua News.
Pakistan has reiterated many times her vision to reach out to regional countries for sustainable trade and people-to-people relations. In this connection, latest Kunming-Karachi will not only improve bilateral trade relations but also help her to take it forward and reach out to explore other markets as well.
China, #Pakistan launch direct rail & sea #freight service between Kunming and Karachi, cutting transport cost by over 50 pct pic.twitter.com/P6kvmvK13u
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) December 1, 2016