CHENGDU, Feb. 13 (NBD) -- The Gwadar port, once a small wharf in the southern coast of Pakistan, is now where China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) meets the Indian ocean.

On Nov. 13, the Gwadar port was offcially inaugurated by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and has formally been operationalised for trade activities through the western route of CPEC.

The first mega pilot trade cargo, carrying construction materials and mechanical equipment, transferred by a fleet of 31 container cars from Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on Oct. 29 and arrived on Nov. 12, departed from the southern end of CPEC shortly after the inauguration for Middle East and African countries.

With financial backing of 46 billion U.S. dollars and scores of infrastructure projects, the ongoing construction of the CPEC is one of the largest endeavors now taking place in the world.

Sun Ziyu, Vice President of China Communications Construction Company Limited, quoted in an interview as saying "there are a lot of en-route countries along the Strait of Malacca which can hardly be replaced, the shipping will be always there."

He said the Gwadar port, through CPEC, at least adds one more channel, one more choice and one more alternation for China's western region.

Email: lijia@nbd.com.cn