China-Pakistan Cooperation in Fishery Trade: Present Status and Future Possibilities

Abstract

China and Pakistan have the closest and the friendliest long-standing ties since 1951. These good relations certainly have obvious reasons among which economic concerns are at the top of the list. Trade liberalization policies of these two countries have resulted in increased commercial cohesion through fishery trade. Thus, the aim of this study is to further strengthen economic and friendly relation between China and Pakistan through in-depth analysis of the cooperation status and future possibilities in fishery trade between both the countries. To this end, we conducted a survey and collectively interviewed 37 adults who belonged to fishermen community, businessmen and government persons working in Pakistan. Obtained results indicate due to the awake of CPEC and trade liberalization, a new era of enhanced fishery trade between China and Pakistan is imminent. After EU ban, China is the largest emerging potential market for Pakistani fishery products. Fishery exports from Pakistan to China are gaining momentum. In 2015, Pakistan exported 142,848 t (metric ton) of fishery products to China and in future this figure expected to increase significantly. Although, fishery trade is getting pace, however, fishery production augmentation in Pakistan is direly needed to be coupled with revised policies related to technical barriers to fishery trade. Since, China and Pakistan share cordial relations, which are improving continuously, therefore, it is the need of the hour to formulate joint fisheries business policies and find fishery trade expansion possibilities.