BEIJING, Jan 4 : Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, Xinjiang region has developed tourism, promoting connectivity with Pakistan under CPEC.

According to a report published by Gwadar Pro on Monday, the boom of Xinjiang tourism, a cultural corridor is constructed to link tourism of Pakistan and China. The connectivity will contribute to prosperity of the tourist economy and local poverty alleviation.

In 2020, tourist attractions in Xinjiang have an all-round update. Among them, 19 scenic spots got 4A level and Karamay World Devil City Scenic Spot got 5A level.

On December 28, Narati Tourist Resort was recognized as one of the 15 national tourist resorts of China selected in 2020, and became the first national tourist resort in Xinjiang.

Meanwhile, 3 routes in Xinjiang were selected as 2020 top 10 self-driving tour routes.

As one of the 3 selected routes, “Symphony silk road” which provides a smooth transition between Chinese culture and Pakisani culture, meanwhile constructs geological connectivity between the two countries, links Chinese famous cultural spots such as Xi’an, Kashgar, Hotan, and so on to Pakistan.

Xinjiang also digitized its tourism industry in 2020. The “Xinjiang Smart Tourism” management platform integrates cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, 5G, AR/VR, slow broadcast and other modern Internet application technologies, so that managers can learn the dynamic situation of scenic spots in real time and provide convenient and intelligent tourism services for tourists.

The experience of Xinjiang’s tourism has provided a new train of thought for Pakistan to develop tourism under pandemic and cultural globalization context also created opportunities for tourism connectivity between Pakistan and China under CPEC.

Yang Xiaolong, a famous Chinese traveler who used to travel to Pakistan by motorcycle through Xinjiang many times, said that Xinjiang plays an irreplaceable role in CPEC tourism connectivity.

“In Xinjiang, we can see an existing belt, a real corridor from China to Pakistan which promotes not only economy but also cultural and geological exchange. ”

BEIJING, Jan. 4 : China substantially contributed to enhance Pakistan’s export in the recent year, says a report published by China Economic Net (CEN) on Monday.

Pakistan’s exports stood at $2.357 billion in December 2020, up 18.3 percent from $1.993 billion in the corresponding month of the previous year, which grew for the fourth consecutive month, according to data released by Pakistan Ministry of Commerce showed on January 1.

Pakistan achieved record exports in December 2020 with a growth of 18 percent over the previous year.

As per the report, Chinese scholar Prof. Cheng Xizhong commenting on it said, there are three main reasons for Pakistan’s substantial export growth.

First, this shows the resilience of Pakistani economy. It is a vindication of the government’s policy to keep the wheels of economy running during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The policies of the federal government of Pakistan are very wise, focusing on the prevention and control of the pandemic on the one hand and the economic recovery on the other hand.

Judging from the current situation, the novel coronavirus pandemic in Pakistan has been effectively controlled. In this regard, Pakistan has done the best in South Asia.

At the same time, from the very beginning to now, the Imran Khan administration has strongly stressed on the importance of economy development, improvement of people’s livelihood, increase of exports, and maintenance of a good state of finance, and roll outed a series of policies and measures.

Second, the second phase of China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) came into effect on December 1, 2019.

The conclusion of the second phase of FTA between China and Pakistan is an important measure to further enrich the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and enhance the level of trade liberalization and facilitation between the two countries.

Since then, Pakistan’s exports to China have increased rapidly. For example, Pakistan’s rice exports to China have increased from 1.3 percent in the past to 24.4 percent in 2020.

The Chinese government and people have a strong inclination for expanding trade between China and Pakistan.

Some of Pakistan’s special vegetables and fruits are favored by the Chinese consumers. At the same time, Pakistan is a very reliable supply chain for Chinese halal food.

Third, the substantial growth of Pakistan’s exports should also be attributed to the cooperation between China and Pakistan in building the economic corridor.

The corridor construction has entered a new stage. The construction of special economic zones (SEZs) and industrial parks is steadily advancing.

Now the increase in overall exports is mainly driven by double-digit growth in proceeds from textile and clothing sectors as well as engineering products, surgical instruments and value-added leather products.

Experts predict that once the SEZs and industrial parks are fully in operation, Pakistan will have a series of modern industrial production lines. By that time, Pakistan’s exports will grow at a rate of 30-50 percent per year, the report added.