Pakistan and China open a green channel for farm trade at the Sost-Khunjerab border

29 October 2026

Pakistan and China signed an agreement to run a green channel for farm trade at the Sost-Khunjerab crossing. The two customs administrations signed it online at the Federal Board of Revenue headquarters in Islamabad. Pakistan's side was led by Member Customs (Operations) Syed Shakeel Shah, China's by Li Qinghua, deputy head of Urumqi Customs and director of Tashkurgan Customs. An agreed list of agricultural products will now get priority processing and examination, while risk-based customs controls stay in place. The two sides will share information, send each other risk alerts and clear perishable loads first. Officials of the Department of Plant Protection, NAFSA, Pakistan Single Window and the Ministry of Commerce took part. The Khunjerab Pass, at 15,500 feet, is the highest paved international border and links Gilgit-Baltistan with China's Xinjiang. Pakistan Customs collected a record Rs15 billion on imports from China through the pass last year.