CHINA WANTS TO BUY 5,000 TONNES PAKISTANI COTTON
China is negotiating with Pakistan to
buy 5,000 tonnes of cotton this year, after importing the same
amount last year under a barter agreement, Chinese consulate
sources said.
    Chinese ambassador Tian Ding told a meeting of Pakistani
industrialists on Thursday that China intended to increase
imports from Pakistan to reduce a trade imbalance.
    Pakistani officials estimate the country's cotton output
from the current crop at a record 7.6 mln bales (375 pounds
each). Last year's output totalled 7.2 mln bales and domestic
consumption was just below three mln bales, they said.
 REUTER
