ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China on Thursday signed thirty-eight agreements worth $325 million to promote bilateral trade. These signed documents paved the way of enhancing sale of Pakistani products in the Chinese market. The total value of agreements is the same to 17 percent of China’s gross import from Pakistan. The products to be imported from Pakistan included seafood, leather, marble products, and coarse copper. This was a step forward, correcting balance of payment in bilateral trade between the two countries. The entrepreneurs of the two sides inked the trade’s arrangement in presence of Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong, Deputy Director General Chinese Ministry of Foreign Trade Wang Dongtang and Secretary Trade development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) Inamullah Khan. Commercial Counsellor of the Chinese embassy Dr Wang Zhihua was also present on the occasion. More than 100 enterprise representatives attended the signing ceremony. China’s Ministry of Commerce has organized a trade promotion group for economic and trading communication from August 9 to 11. The group comprised representatives of thirty companies, belonging to textile industry, pharmaceutical, agriculture products, petrochemical industry, commercial trading and other fields. Addressing the signing ceremony, Ambassador Sun Weidong said China is Pakistan’s second largest export destination for the last couple of years. In 2016, Pakistan export to China stood at dollar 1.9 billion. There has been growing trend in the bilateral trade, since the signing of free trade agreement between the two countries, he added. Published in Daily Times, August 11th 2017.