Crossing borders for bountiful commerce

More Pakistani traders are settling in the Tashikurgan Tajik autonomous county of Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, to tap the strong business potential.

As the county is close to their homes, they said it is easy to commute and fit into the local community. Booming tourism also brings more visitors, which benefits their businesses.

Murad Shah, a Pakistani jeweler, said his gemstone store in the county welcomed about 100 to 200 tourists a day after it resumed operations last April.

He said his business is starting to recover after China optimized 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 he is hopeful about the future.

One good reason for him to open a store in the county is that his hometown, a small village in Pakistan, is just 200 kilometers away. Another reason is that China is developing very fast with a sound economy, he said.

At the store of Pakistani merchant Nazar Karim Ali, visitors come to buy gemstones, jewelry, blankets, cotton bed sheets, clothes, and handicrafts, all made in Pakistan.

Karim is the second generation of business owners in his family. He said that over the last 32 years, the county has made him feel at home.

Programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor have made it very easy to do business, Karim said.

Located on the Pamir Plateau, the Tashikurgan Tajik county, with an area of 25,000 square kilometers 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, while the Karasu Port is only 14 km from Kulma Pass in Tajikistan.

Due to the ease of transportation, the county enjoys robust cross-border trade, importing mainly minerals, agricultural products, and seafood while exporting textiles and clothing, mechanical and electrical products, and household goods.

Tourists, meanwhile, are lured by the county’s many unique attractions such as the 7,546-meter Mount Muztagata and Mount Qogir, or K2 — the world’s second-highest peak at 8,611 meters — and a 2,000-yearold ancient stone city.