Visitors interact with a robot dog at the 15th Kashgar-Central & South Asia Commodity Fair in Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Aman)
URUMQI, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The 15th Kashgar-Central and South Asia Commodity Fair, recently concluded in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, served as a golden bridge for regional cooperation, facilitating the entry of high-quality Central and South Asian products into the Chinese market.
Suleman Yakoob, a leather goods merchant from Karachi, Pakistan, who runs a family business with a history spanning over 140 years, made his debut at the fair. He noted that his products, including handbags, were an instant hit among Chinese buyers.
"This fair has connected me with numerous Chinese traders -- all my samples sold out immediately, and I secured long-term orders from wholesalers in Shandong and Zhejiang provinces," Yakoob said. "Kashgar is the perfect gateway to expand my business in China."
Azizbek Khudaikulov, an official from Samarkand, Uzbekistan, held in-depth talks with Chinese agricultural processors. While Uzbekistan boasts premium fruits like cherries and melons, he acknowledged gaps in value-added processing.
"We welcome Chinese investment to help us develop juice production and extend our supply chains," Khudaikulov said.
As the featured guest country, Kyrgyzstan showcased products such as honey and handicrafts.
"We've signed multiple letters of intent with Chinese distributors and plan to bring more premium Kyrgyz products to China," said Bermet Kurmanbaeva, an expert at Kyrgyzstan's Export Development and Promotion Center.
The five-day fair also accelerated synergies between Chinese technology and capital and the resource advantages of neighboring economies, fostering shared regional growth.
Dedicated matchmaking sessions for Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan yielded concrete results. Chinese and Kyrgyz companies inked 10 agreements in logistics, energy, and agriculture, totaling 422 million yuan (about 59.1 million U.S. dollars), while Chinese and Pakistani firms agreed on 12 key projects in agriculture and infrastructure, with contracts worth 235 million yuan.
Guo Yongchang, executive vice chairman of the Federation of Industry and Commerce of Kashgar, noted that bilateral trade between China and Kyrgyzstan soared in the first half of the year, with Kashgar's trade with Kyrgyzstan alone hitting 16.28 billion yuan, underscoring robust cooperation potential.
Kyrgyzstan is actively developing green energy initiatives, and China excels in technology, investment, and equipment manufacturing, allowing the two countries to collaborate on clean energy projects to optimize and upgrade energy structures, Guo emphasized.
During the fair, Kashgar expanded its global network by establishing seven new international sister-city agreements, bringing its total partnerships to 21.
"These 21 partnerships represent 21 bridges of friendship," said Wu Xiaobin, executive vice commissioner of the Kashgar prefectural administrative office.
Data shows Kashgar's foreign trade hit 64.32 billion yuan in the first half of 2025, up 15.1 percent year-on-year. This year's Kashgar fair attracted 181 overseas enterprises from 40 countries and regions, alongside 1,120 domestic firms.
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