Even while fighting raged throughout Afghanistan this week, Gwadar Port, which is now run by a Chinese firm, continued to export fertiliser to the landlocked country.
A total of 500 tonnes of fertilizers were transported out of the port’s storage by a fleet of Pakistani trucks during the previous week, according to a port source.
The Gwadar Port, located in Balochistan province, is a significant project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of China’s planned Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Since its inception, the port has taken on a new function as an efficient transit stop and time-saving commercial port for Afghanistan’s landlocked country. Fertiliser shipments begin.
Due to border restrictions, fertiliser supplies bound for Afghanistan are leaving the warehouses seldom. Despite the fighting between Taliban insurgents and Afghan government troops last week, this commerce was not disrupted, according to a port source.
Zhou Rong, a senior researcher at Renmin University of China’s Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, regarded the uninterrupted commerce flow via this international corridor, even during times of war and strife, as proof of trade’s benefits.
“What transpired just demonstrated that regular trade between nations should not be obstructed regardless of the situation,” Rong said, adding that the Taliban was well aware that it should not obstruct trade, which is beneficial to Afghanistan’s war-torn economy.
A trickle of Chinese items continues to flow into Afghanistan via Pakistan, aided by CPEC infrastructure, however, commerce has been mostly conducted via the Karachi Port, one of South Asia’s largest and busiest deep-water seaports, which handles around 60% of Pakistan’s cargo, according to Rong.
Small machinery, electrical transmission, and distribution equipment, which are purchased by Chinese firms that provide energy to the country’s main cities, were among the Chinese goods delivered to Afghanistan.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, China hopes that the Taliban would honor its pledges to build an open and inclusive Islamic government via discussion, as well as behave responsibly to protect the safety of Afghan civilians and foreign missions in Afghanistan.
According to Chinese analysts, China may play a role in Afghanistan’s post-war rehabilitation and growth, advancing projects under the BRI and contributing investment when safety and stability are restored.
