ISLAMABAD, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, has called for intensified efforts to promote trade between Gulf countries and China via Gwadar Port in the country's southwest Balochistan province, the ministry said in a statement.
Speaking at a high-level meeting here on Wednesday, the minister emphasized that the port, being developed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), offers the most economical and efficient trade route for imports and exports in the region.
Calling the Gwadar Port "one of Pakistan's most valuable assets," Iqbal said that it provides the shortest trade route to Gulf and Central Asian countries and has immense potential to serve as a key regional trans-shipment hub.
Iqbal also underscored the need for aggressive global marketing of Gwadar's competitive advantages, including its location and cost-effective shipping options, the statement added.
He directed stakeholders to develop comprehensive marketing materials, which will be disseminated through Pakistan's embassies and trade missions worldwide to promote Gwadar Port on a global scale.
Iqbal also stressed the need for a robust action plan within six months to generate trade traffic through the port, with an aim to create job opportunities for local residents and boost the regional economy, the statement said.
In a bid to enhance Gwadar's competitiveness, Iqbal instructed the National Logistics Cell to conduct a detailed cost analysis of trans-shipment routes.
"We must offer competitive pricing and viable logistics solutions to attract international trade," he added.
Launched in 2013, CPEC, the flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, is a corridor linking the Gwadar Port with Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while in the new phase expands to fields of agriculture and livelihood, among others. ■
