More Pakistani traders are settling in the Tashikurgan Tajik autonomous county of Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, to tap the strong business potential.
Because the county is close to their home, they said it’s simple to get around and integrate into the local community. Booming tourism also attracts more tourists, which benefits their businesses.
Murad Shah, a Pakistani jeweler, said his gem shop in the county receives between 100 and 200 tourists a day after resuming operations in 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 of the clever reasons why he opened a shop in the county is that his hometown, a small town in Pakistan, is only two hundred kilometers away, and is available in just 3 hours by car.
Another explanation is that China is emerging very temporarily and has a healthy economy, he said. “Many Pakistanis prefer to do business here because there is cash here,” Shah 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. His father and uncle exported silk from China between 1989 and 1992.
He said that for more than 32 years, the county has welcomed him as home and that he shares the same culture with the locals.
Many projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor have greatly simplified business, Karim said. There are opportunities for Chinese to invest in Pakistan, which also benefits Pakistanis, he said.
Located on the Pamir Plateau, the county, with an area of 25,000 square kilometers and a population of 41,000, is China’s border of 3 countries: Pakistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. It has two land ports: Khunjerab Pass is 125 km from Sust Pakistan Port and Karasu Port are 14 km from Kulma Pass in Tajikistan.
Due to ease of transportation, Tashikurgan Tajik trades with neighboring countries, mainly carrying minerals, agricultural products and seafood, while exporting textiles and clothing, mechanical and electrical products and household items, according to local authorities.
The number of tourist visits reached more than 1. 34 million from January to the end of December, a year-on-year increase of 86%, with the peak season being from May to October. Tourists are drawn to the county’s many attractions, such as Mount Muztagata. and Mount Qogir, or K2, the world’s second-highest peak at 8,611 meters, and a 2,000-year-old ancient stone city.