Pakistan has exported donkey meat to China for the first time, with the inaugural shipment produced in the Gwadar Free Zone clearing customs at Tianjin Port and officially entering the Chinese market, according to a statement by a Hengeng official.
The official described the shipment as the first food product manufactured in the Gwadar Free Zone to reach the Chinese market and thanked the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, the CPEC Authority, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal for supporting the project.
He said the milestone reflects progress under the second phase of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The development follows several years of regulatory preparations. Pakistan and China finalized export protocols for donkey meat and hides in 2024, while Pakistan later amended its export policy to allow shipments from approved slaughterhouses operating in the Gwadar Free Zone.
Hengeng subsequently obtained the required quarantine and customs approvals from Pakistani authorities and China’s General Administration of Customs before exports began.
Hengeng Trading Enterprise, a Chinese company investing in Pakistan’s livestock and agricultural sectors, has established a $50 million slaughterhouse in the Gwadar North Free Zone dedicated to processing donkey meat and hides for export.
The project was launched as part of efforts to promote value-added livestock exports under CPEC and create employment in the region.
China is a major importer of donkey meat and donkey hides, particularly for the production of Ejiao, a traditional medicinal product made from donkey hide. Pakistani officials have previously said the project is expected to strengthen agricultural trade with China, attract foreign investment, and expand Pakistan’s livestock exports
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