Pakistan and China have signed an agreement to operationalise a green channel at the Sost-Khunjerab border for agricultural and allied products, to speed up bilateral trade. The agreement was signed online on Thursday at the Federal Board of Revenue by the customs administrations of both countries, with Pakistan’s delegation led by Member Customs (Operations) Syed Shakeel Shah and China’s by Li Qinghua of Urumqi Customs. Under the arrangement, eligible consignments from an agreed list of agricultural products will receive priority processing and examination, with special attention to perishable goods, while risk-based customs controls remain in place. The two sides will also share information and exchange risk alerts to improve cross-border trade management. The Khunjerab Pass, which connects Gilgit-Baltistan with China’s Xinjiang region, is the highest paved international border crossing in the world at about 15,500 feet, and under a 1985 border protocol it generally stays open for trade and travel between April and November. For farmers and exporters, faster clearance of perishables could mean fresher produce reaching buyers and fewer losses at the border. Sources: Dawn, APP (UrduPoint). Written in our own words for information only.