Survey for construction of Wakhan Corridor in Badakhshan completed

Abdul Karim Fateh, Technical Deputy Minister of Public Works, says survey work for the construction of a road, known as the Wakhan Economic Corridor, in Badakhshan province has been completed, and work is now underway to design the new transit route.

Fateh stated the ministry is ready to begin practical work on the corridor once the budget is allocated.

According to him, once the road has been completed, Afghanistan will be connected to China by land. He also said the road will be used to transit goods between the two countries.

“China is a major economic country in the world, and fortunately, we share a border with this country. We want to rebuild the road that connects to the Chinese border, so that our imports and exports with China can begin by land,” he added.

Currently, trade between Afghanistan and China amounts to $1.1 billion, and once this transit route is operational, trade between the two countries is expected to expand.

Mirwais Hajizadeh, an economic expert, said: “My suggestion is that this Wakhan route should be created as soon as possible, and more focus should be put on it to reduce the transportation costs of imports and exports for traders and the private sector.”

“In the past, if a container of pine nuts was exported to China via air corridors, the cost was more than sixty to $65,000. If we export through Wakhan, our costs will decrease by 90 percent, and the cost will not exceed $5,000.”

Economic experts also believe that if Afghanistan is connected to China by land, several other countries will also transfer their goods to China via the corridor.

Currently, meanwhile, Afghanistan imports Chinese goods through various routes, and from time to time, Pakistan creates issues that result in heavy losses for Afghan traders.