Afghanistan-China Railway Faces Challenges, Needs More Attention

Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) says low domestic productivity and lack of market for Afghan goods in China are the main challenges for the export of country’s goods to China.

The Afghan government has attempted to seek new ways for changing Afghanistan to a transit country.

One of these ways is the creation of a direct railway between Afghanistan and China; from the opening of this railway, only two cargoes of Chinese goods imported to Afghanistan.

Officials in ACCI noted that the government failed to properly use the created opportunities.

“The poor quality, lack of low productivity and lack of markets for Afghan goods in China made these problems,” said Sayam Pesarlay, spokesman of ACCI.

In the meantime, a number of economic analysts called the railway between Afghanistan and China very important for solving transit problems; stressing that the government should support the private sector.

Trade between Yiwu and Afghanistan amounted to $20.2m in 2015, representing a year-on-year growth of 2,284.5 per cent. The import-export volume reached $18.3m during the first half of the current year, up by 4,683pc compared with the same period last year, according to the local bureau of commerce.