BEIJING: Being a core of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Gwadar deep seaport in southwest Pakistan is poised to play a greater role in regional and global trade.
From bulk cargo of agricultural products to containerized goods such as fertilizers and livelihood supplies, to staple products such as liquefied petroleum gas, business volume has increased significantly since the beginning of this year. A recent report showed that in the first half of this year, Gwadar Port completed a container throughput of 1,162 TEUs and bulk cargo throughput of 506,800 tons.
“Through sea, land and air connectivity, Gwadar Port is increasingly becoming a regional logistics hub, effectively connecting with the Middle East, Central Asian countries and China, creating opportunities for the integrated development of Pakistan and regional countries,” emphasized Zamir Ahmed Awan, Founding Chair of an Islamabad-based think tank, Global Silk Route Research Alliance, CEN reported. Apart from being a port itself, Gwadar connects China’s western economic zones to the sea, such as Kashgar which is 4500km away from the Shanghai seaport but only 2033km from Gwadar, the KASB report mentioned. “About 60 per cent of Chinese oil imports are from the Middle East and the opening of Gwadar port reduces the marine distance from 16000 km to 5000 km and the duration from 45 days to 10 days,” the report added. –Agencies
