Belt and Road Perspective: Chinese Halal Food Accelerates Entry into Pakistan Market

Chinese Cuisine in Pakistan

Recently, the South Asia Standardization (Chengdu) Research Center successfully held the first Chinese Food Market Access Knowledge Training (online) for Pakistani food enterprises. The chairman of the China Council for International Trade Promotion (CCPIT) Halal Food Committee stated that in the near future, more Chinese Halal food products will appear in Pakistani supermarkets. Pakistan Halal Authority, Gwadar Port Customs, and dozens of Chinese food companies participated in this seminar.

Currently, about 70% of Pakistan Halal food products rely on imports, primarily from Iran and Malaysia. In the past, Chinese food in Pakistan mainly appeared in local Chinese supermarkets and restaurants. But in the future, more Pakistani consumers will get to taste Chinese flavors. At the upcoming Summer World University Games in Chengdu next year, organizers will also provide Halal food options. Pakistan and Chinese people share common food preferences. For example, Sichuan cuisine known for its numbing and spicy flavors fits Pakistani taste preferences perfectly. Hotpot bases, Sichuan seasonings, liang pi (cold noodles), instant noodles, pickled vegetables, and other foods widely consumed in China were also warmly received by local people at exhibitions held in Pakistan.

Under the Belt and Road initiative, an increasing number of food producers are setting their sights on the highly promising Pakistan and broader Middle Eastern markets. SINOQUAL has assisted numerous enterprises from Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and other southwestern provinces, as well as quality enterprises from other provinces, in successfully obtaining international HALAL certification, including well-known food producers such as Lao Gan Ma, Fuling Zhacai, Hunan Tianwei, and Shandong Yunde. With HALAL certification as their credential, delicious Sichuan-style dishes and seasonings have reached Pakistani dining tables, satisfying the taste preferences of more consumers in broader international markets.

Additionally, the Chinese delegation clearly expressed interest in investing in Pakistan Halal meat industry and plans to export it to other Middle Eastern countries. We believe that in the future, we will see more brands and greater varieties of Halal food products appearing in the Middle Eastern market.