BEIJING, Nov 9: Pakistan’s exports to China show an upward trend, registering an increase of about 36 per cent in nine months of this year. The exports were amounted to around $612 million from January to September as against $448 million in the corresponding period last year.

According to the Chinese customs authority, there was a considerable increase in the export items like cotton yarn, cotton fabric, leather, chromium ore, copper and chemical. The Chinese side calculates the export figures on the basis of the origin of the exported items, including those come to the mainland through Hong Kong, and the Chinese financial calendar is counted from January to December.

Sources told APP here on Wednesday there was still great room for enhancing the exports, particularly of non-traditional items, including sport and engineering goods, handicrafts, furniture, surgical instruments, marble, onyx, jewellery and agro-based products.

Pakistan’s exports to China are likely to get further boost, when tariff on a number trading items would be reduced to zero under the early harvest programme (EHP) to be effective from January 2006.

Shahid Mahmood, commercial counsellor in Pakistan Embassy, expressed the hope that the trade volume would increase in the coming months, when the list of export items to China would also include rice, mango and some other agro-based products. He was confident that Pakistan’s annual exports to China would reach around $800 million by the end of December.

The bilateral cooperation on the government-to-government-level has been excellent over the years. A number of major public sector development projects have been undertaken in the country with the financial and technical assistance of state-run Chinese companies.

A Chinese commerce ministry official suggested that a maximum number of Pakistani businessmen should visit China to explore new openings in the trade sector.—APP