BEIJING: A cargo train loaded with 500 tonnes of commodities left Kunming in China for Karachi on Wednesday, 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 report 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 trade activities under 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.
