KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan is set to reopen its border with neighboring China for trade from Thursday after a gap of one and a half years due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, an official confirmed.

Faiyaz Ahmad, the deputy commissioner of the northern Hunza district, which borders China, told reporters on Wednesday that the border will be reopened only for unilateral trade.

The border between Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region and China's Xinjiang province was closed early last year, following the emergence of COVID-19.

According to Ahmad, Pakistani traders would be allowed to only import goods from China. Restrictions on exports to the neighboring country -- the origin of the coronavirus -- will remain in place until further orders.