by Wu Siya

BEIJING, Sept. 6 (China Economic Net) - “Tea is an embedded part of our culture, joy and conversations. One cannot take tea away from a Pakistani’s life,” said Sadia Khatri, a writer in Karachi. “Any time is a good time for tea.”

Such is the case. As the world's largest tea importer, Pakistan imported more than USD 600 million (about RMB 4.033 billion) worth of tea last year, while China’s exports of tea to Pakistan were USD 5.76 million during 2023, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

The huge gap shows that there is still huge potential for cooperation between China and Pakistan in the tea industry.

The 17th Beijing International Tea Exhibition [Photo/Wu Siya]

“I’m here to look around, hoping to find the right tea variety. As we all know, China is the birthplace of tea, as well as Pakistan has a deep-rooted tea drinking culture. Pakistanis love Chinese green tea, black tea, oolong tea, with the high-quality varieties are highly sought after in our market. The tea trade between us is not only a commercial transaction, but also a reflection of culture and emotional connection. In other words, aroma of tea merges us together,” Pakistani trader Abdul Haq told China Economic Net at the 17th Beijing International Tea Exhibition.

“In my country, black tea is the most popular, usually brewed with milk, spices, lemon slices and even chopped nuts,” Abdul Haq added, “Nowadays young people in China are also mad about milk tea, which I think is proof that our cultures are blending and thriving together.”

Lately, Mr. Manzoor Ali, Counselor of the Pakistani Embassy in China, expressed his expectation of further Pak-China cooperation in tea industry, stating, “with a population of over 200 million, Pakistan is a major consumer of tea. Our Embassy has signed an MOU with the International Business Advisory Council of the China International Engineering Consulting Association (CAIEC). Through collaboration with Chinese tea companies in tea production, we aim to not only meet domestic market demand, but also extend to neighboring Islamic countries and even reach European nations.”

“Broken tea from China and Pakistan can be blended and make new products for the international market, by which achieve industrial win-win,” said He Qingyuan, a senior official of Tea Research Institute, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

“In Pakistan, the demand for broken black tea is high. “Broken black tea is mainly used to make teabags. Its price is not high in China. Yunnan is also searching for ways to increase its export. Industrial transfer or guidance from Yunnan to Pakistan can be a very effective way for Pak-China tea cooperation.”