BEIJING: A cargo train loaded with 500 tonnes of commodities left Kunming in China for Karachi on Wednesday, marking the openin
g of a direct rail and sea freight service.
A Chinese news agency reported that the service aims to link China’s southwest Yunnan province with
Pakistan’s largest port at Karachi. The Xinhua News report s
aid that the freight line would cut logistics costs, including those associated with transport, by over 50 percent as compared to past services.
A representative from the New Silk Road Yunnan Limited was reported to have s
aid that the route would help local businesses to conne
ct with the world market.
The service is a
part of China’s Maritime Silk Road initiative, of which the China-
Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an extension.
Pakistan and China kicked off the first trade activities under CPEC in October when over a hundred Chinese containers arrived at the Sust port in Upper Hunza. These containers reached Gwadar in November and were shipped off to markets around the world.
