BEIJING: A cargo train loaded with 500 tonnes of commodities left Kunming in China for Karachi on Wedn
esday, marking the opening 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 repor
t said 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 said that the route would help local businesses to connect 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 tra
de activities un
der 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.
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