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A man sell blankets imported from Pakistan in Kashgar, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo/IC] |
He will be back to Gilgit, a northern city in Pakistan, located over 3,000 km away from the pass in Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region. He and his brother operate a store there which sells Chinese mobile phones and accessories only.
"I have come to Kashgar in Xinjiang a lot of times since the store opened five years ago. It is nearer and much safer than our domestic cities like Islamabad and Lahore. We like to do business here," said Hussein.
Chinese mobile phones like the products of Huawei and Oppo are produced in Shenzhen, Guangdong province and sent to Kashgar. "They are cheap and have long standby time. Our store sold nearly 25,000 of them last year, " said Hussein.
From his observation, there are a lot of Pakistan businessmen going along the same route now. Because of the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), this route enjoys great business potential.
As a key component of the Belt and Road Initiative, CPEC contains highways, railways, gas and oil pipelines and fiber channels from Kashgar in China to Gwadar port in Pakistan.
During his visit to Pakistan, Xi Jinping, the president of China emphasized that the bilateral cooperation will be centered on CPEC and Gwadar port, and energy, transportation infrastructure and industry cooperation are the most important parts.
The economic corridor also helps Chinese companies look west.
Sike Electronics, a company located in Chaozhou, Guangdong province, exports 30 percent of its products, mainly mobile cables and chargers, to India and Pakistan.
The company opened another branch called Zhanbo Electronics in the Shenzhen industrial park in Kashgar one year ago and has built four factories in the same region.
"Xinjiang has abundant labor supply and preferential policies. We are very confident about the expansion to Pakistan and nearby countries from here. The market demand is everywhere," said Chen Dongsheng, general manager of the Zhanbo Electronics.
