BEIJING:
More Pakistani traders are settling in the Tashikurgan Tajik autonomous county of Kashgar in China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to tap the business potential.
As the county is close to their homes, they said it was easy to commute and interact with the local community. A booming tourism is benefitting their businesses.
Pakistani jeweller Murad Shah said his gemstone store in the county “welcomes about 100 to 200 tourists a day after it resumed operations in April”.
He stressed that his business had started to recover after China successfully implemented its Covid-19 policies. “There are a lot of tourists. The county has a diverse culture and landscape, and so many good attractions to see,” he said, adding that he was hopeful about the future, China Daily reported.
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One good reason for him to open a store in the county is that his hometown, a small village in Pakistan, is just 200 kilometres and three hours away by car.
Another reason is that China is developing very fast with a sound economy. “Many Pakistanis prefer to do business here because there is money,” Shah said.
Located on the Pamir Plateau, the county, with an area of 25,000 square kilometres and a population of 41,000, is the only one in China that borders three countries – Pakistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
It has two land ports – the Khunjerab Pass is 125 km from Sust Port in Pakistan and the Karasu Port is only 14 km from Kulma Pass in Tajikistan. The number of tourist visits reached over 1.34 million from January to late December, up 86% YoY, with May to October being peak season.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 4th, 2024.
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