ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has urged Hong Kong to explore resuming Cathay Pacific flights to the country, making the request to the city’s top official as Islamabad seeks greater business and regional connectivity, according to an official statement on Friday.

Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan raised the proposal with Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Summit, which brought together political and business leaders from more than 70 countries and regions this week.

The request came as Pakistan seeks to position itself as a trade and connectivity bridge linking Central Asia and western China with international markets through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Khan had told the summit in Hong Kong on Thursday that Islamabad was pursuing export-led growth and deeper integration into global supply chains, a theme he carried into his subsequent meeting with Lee as he pressed for stronger commercial and aviation links.

“Jam Kamal Khan called for greater engagement in trade in services, aviation, finance and business-to-business connectivity,” the commerce ministry said in a statement circulated after the meeting. “He particularly urged Hong Kong to explore the resumption of Cathay Pacific flights to Pakistan, saying improved air connectivity could support business, tourism and commercial exchanges.”

Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flagship carrier, stopped flying to Karachi in June 2014 after operating the route since 2000. The airline briefly suspended flights following a Taliban attack at Karachi airport before ending the service later that month, with its Pakistan representative citing the route’s lack of economic viability.

Khan also held a separate meeting with Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau, proposing exchanges of business delegations, improved aviation links and greater cooperation in finance, services and trade.

In his summit address, Khan said CPEC was helping turn Pakistan into a regional connectivity hub, linking landlocked Central Asia and western China with warm-water ports, while pitching the country for greater investment in infrastructure, industrialization and other sectors.

Lee thanked Pakistan for its role in promoting regional stability and said reduced tensions were important for global economic growth, according to the ministry.

Khan invited him to visit Pakistan.