China has highly praised the resumption of trade relations and people exchanges between Pakistan and Afghanistan after both countries overcame the impact of COVID-19, here on Thursday.
According to the details, the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Hua Chunying said during her regular briefing that Pakistan and Afghanistan overcome impact of the Covid-19 and restored their trade and people to people exchange.
She also said that Pakistan has opened five key routes with Afghanistan for bilateral and transit trade over the past weeks to help war-ravaged Afghanistan boost trade.
Pertinent to mention that Pakistan had closed all trade routes with Afghanistan in March due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Now trade route of Torkham in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Chaman in southwest Balochistan province, two major crossings with Afghanistan, for both the bilateral trade and the Afghan transit trade are opened.
These border crossings are now operationalized for 24 hours a day and six days a week to facilitate cross-border trade, which has been affected due to the Covid-19 pandemic in both countries.
Besides the two major routes, Pakistan has also opened three other routes with Afghanistan including Ghulam Khan in North Waziristan tribal district, Angor Adda in South Waziristan tribal district and Kharlachi in Kurram tribal district.
Hua also said that as neighbour and friend to both two countries, off course China wants to see better relations between the two and economic growth of the two, adding, “We will like to play a constructive role in this regard”.
China also supports the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan so that the Afghan people can benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
