Chinese commerce ministry officials on Friday stressed the importance of expanding trade ties with South Asia, “especially against the backdrop of the current turbulent and uncertain international and regional situation.”
Vice Commerce Minister Yan Dong said at a press conference that China and South Asian countries should deepen supply chain cooperation and expand beyond traditional sectors such as infrastructure, transport and power into emerging areas including e-commerce and biomedicine.
Trade between China and South Asian countries exceeded US$200 billion (HK$1.56 billion) in 2025 and grew 15.8 percent year-on-year in the first four months of 2026, Yan said.
China is now the largest trading partner of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, he added.
Beijing aims to further improve trade liberalisation and facilitation through bilateral mechanisms, trade working groups and free trade arrangements to lower costs and make doing business easier.
Reuters
