Silk road helps Pakistan promote bilateral trade with China
Pakistan Times Business & Commerce Desk

BEIJING (China): The historical Silk road provides strong communication link to Pakistan and other regional countries to promote their bilateral trade, said a UN’s official in Beijing.

In recent years, as China’s economic and trade exchanges with central Asian countries has risen, the old route has been turning towards a new life.

According to official records, as early as 2,000 years ago, businessmen from China’s Sichuan Province had started trade relations with partners in south Asian countries along the ancient Silk Road.

This communication link had been the main source for the Chinese people to develop their economic ties with Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and other regional countries.

Now China has decided to launch a new regional program involving four central Asian countries to rejuvenate the Silk Road, the program will introduce a Silk Road Mayors Forum, the Silk Road multiple entry visa and awarding the title of UN Silk Road City, Khalid Malik, UN’s resident representative in China, said.

The two-year “Silk Road Project” involves the UN, the governments of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Stretching over 7,000 kilometers, the ancient Silk Road snakes from Xi’an, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, through central Asia and ends in Rome.

“With a total fund of one million US dollars, this project represents a strategic follow-up phase of an earlier UNDP program Silk Road Area Development - Phase I,” said Malik.

The fund is only the catalyst for the reviving of the road, and more countries, such as Japan, Turkey and Russia, are encouraged to join the effort.

Malik told reporters the first phase of the Silk Road Area Development project will focus on changing policies and tariff. Currently, though, the UN is working just to establish partnerships and conversation mechanisms between China and countries from central Asia.●