DUSHANBE, June 29, 2012, Asia-Plus — Tajik delegation comprising representatives from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) has attended an official opening of the 8th Kashgar, Central and South Asia Commodity Fair.
100 Tajik enterprises and companies are reportedly participating at the fair that kicked off in Kashgar, a city in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), on June 28 and will last until July 3, the CCI press center reports.
China Daily reports that Ye Lin, executive deputy commissioner of the Kashgar prefecture, said on Thursday that the city is now focusing on the international railway and highway projects. The national section of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway has already been listed as one of State and Xinjiang”s key projects, Ye said at the Kashgar, Central and South Asia Commodity Fair.
“This year”s Kashgar Trade Fair showcases the potential of the ancient Silk Road commercial hub in strengthening ties with Central and South Asian countries, as well as other parts of the world,” Ye said.
“About 800 foreign businessmen, mainly from Central and South Asia, have been drawn to this trade fair. The 100 display booths we”ve prepared for the businessmen are out of supply,” Zhou Yuhui, director of the Commercial Bureau of the Kashgar prefecture, was quoted as saying by China Daily.
The Kashgar Trade Fair reportedly secured trade cooperation contracts worth $8.3 billion, up 111.4 percent from the previous year.
Kashgar”s trade with Central Asian countries grew fast in 2012. From January to May, foreign trade reached $230 million, up 17.6 percent from the same period of 2011, China Daily reported.
Kashgar borders five countries – Pakistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and India – and has a 982-kilometer-long frontier line and five border ports.
