BEIJING   -   Paki­stan’s seafood exports to China increased by 13 per­cent in 2023 compared to the previous year. The rise is due to the growing demand for seafood products in China, a trend that has been steadily increasing over the past few years, said Ghulam Qadir, Investment and Trade Counsellor at the Pakistan Embassy in Beijing. Qadir noted that Pakistan’s seafood exports to China reached $247.3 million, marking a 13 percent increase for the January-December pe­riod in 2023 year-on-year. In 2022, exports were valued at $219.3 million, while in 2021, they stood at $139.29 million, as per data from the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC). This growth can be attrib­uted to various factors, such as improved trade relations between the two countries, participation in the China Fisheries and Seafood Expo held in Qingdao last year by a large group of Pakistani fisheries companies, and the implementation of efficient supply chain management strategies in the Pakistani seafood industry.