Pakistan, China reopen key border crossing after three years

Islamabad: Pakistan and China have reopened the snow-capped key border crossing, Khunjerab Pass, after a gap of more than three years, to boost trade.

After three years of closure, the major trade route was reopened on April 3 for all traffic. The border trade was suspended in 2019 to contain the spread of coronavirus. During this time, it was only opened at specific times under strict COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) for emergency cargo transportation.

At 4,700 meters above sea level, Khunjerab Pass is the highest paved international crossing in the world and the only land route between Pakistan and China. The pass connects China’s Xinjiang with Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. It is an important gateway to South Asia and Europe for Chinese imports and exports.

PM hails reopening of border

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that reopening the Khunjerab pass will increase bilateral trade and vowed to step up all projects related to the $65 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) across the country.

“Reopening of Khunjerab Pass is critical to accelerating trade between Pakistan and China,” the prime minister said in a Twitter post. “The government is determined to unpack the full potential of CPEC by making it the centerpiece of our economic diplomacy for the region. Trade and connectivity are the building blocks of prosperity” he added.

Expansion of trade expected

The Chinese embassy said that they “look forward to having more goods and trade go across the border” via Khunjerab Pass.

This year, the border was opened twice for urgently needed supplies for Pakistan. The two temporary openings facilitated over 6,000 tons of goods exported from China, 128 cross-border visits, and 328 vehicle passes. In 2023, trade is expected to increase with the dispatch of estimated 5,000 vehicles of goods to be delivered to neighbouring countries through the pass, according to Chinese experts. “We expect to witness a huge compensatory growth of cross-border trade and transportation this year at the Khunjerab”, Ye Hailin, deputy director-general at the National Institute of International Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), told media.

Under an agreement, trade activities between the two countries through the Khunjerab Pass continue from April to November and remain closed during the extreme winter months of December to March. “The two sides are now working to keep the border crossing open all year round”, said the Ambassador of Pakistan in China Moinul Haque. He added: “The resumption of operations via Khunjerab pass will serve to further bolster China and Pakistan trade and people-to-people linkages.”

The reopening of the pass is expected to benefit both countries and especially bring relief to Pakistan which has been facing a severe economic crisis.