World News| China-Pakistan border trade passage reopened after 3 years

Islamabad [Pakistan]April 3 (ANI): The Khunjerab pass between Pakistan and China has reopened for trade and tourism after three years of closure, Geo News quoted the Associated Press of Pakistan as reporting.

A trade route linking Pakistan to China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, home to many ethnic minorities including Uyghurs, was closed in 2020 following the Covid-19 outbreak.

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Official sources told APP that Chinese authorities had written to Pakistani officials regarding the reopening of trade passes.

The port authorities on the Chinese side of the Khunjerab Pass have been instructed to take all necessary measures regarding COVID-19 before the arrival of cargo from Pakistan.

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Likewise, the Pakistani border authorities were also directed to take all measures against COVID-19 to ensure the containment of the disease.

This year, the last temporary opening time is from January 30 to February 10 for a period of 12 days, and the first temporary opening time this year is from January 19 to 20.

According to the Kashgar Foreign Affairs Office, the two temporary ports facilitated 128 cross-border personnel exchanges, 328 transport vehicle passes and more than 6,000 tons of exported goods.

The reopening of border crossings is believed to help boost economic activity between the two neighbors.

Before the opening of the border, Pakistani Prime Minister Sheikh Baz Sharif expressed his joy at the reopening of the Khunjerab Pass, saying it would help increase bilateral trade between Pakistan and China.

The prime minister said the development would boost trade with “iron buddy China”, the prime minister’s office said in an official statement.

Earlier, Pakistani businessmen suffered huge losses due to the border closure, leading them to start protests in Islamabad, Pakistan Today reported.

Traders have condemned the massive damage to their businesses from the shutdown and given a one-week deadline to open borders, warning of sit-ins in Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan. (Arnie)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)