In the first quarter of the year, Karasu Port at the China-Tajikistan border in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region reported a double-digit growth in the number of inbound and outbound travelers and import and export goods, thanks to growing people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Statistics show that from January to March, border inspection authorities at the port saw more than 7,300 inbound and outbound traveler visits, a year-on-year increase of 23 percent. Among them, more than 900 were tourist visits, a rise of 58.1 percent.

Customs saw 118,300 metric tons of import and export cargo, up 30 percent year-on-year.

Wen Zhihua, director of the border inspection division of the Karasu Exit-Entry Border Inspection Station, explained that the growth in cross-border traffic is driven by two primary factors: on the one hand, Tajikistan has stepped up infrastructure development in recent years, with sustained recovery in external demand effectively boosting steady growth in bilateral trade. On the other hand, there has been a continuous rise in people traveling for business, work, study, and other purposes.

Behind the growth lies the harsh test of wind and snow. According to the meteorological bureau in Tashikurgan Tajik autonomous county, where the port resides, the port had 20 days of snow in the first quarter, causing persistent disruptions to outdoor inspections and road traffic.

A quarterly record low temperature was -22.9 C and a high of 9.1 C, caused by sharp swings between cold and warm and large day-night temperature differences.

The inspection station lengthened service times, increased the frequency of port patrols, and optimized on-site inspection procedures to ensure that inbound and outbound travelers and vehicles received quick clearance, local authorities said.