Riding the e-commerce boom, Pakistani expat enjoys life in China

NANJING, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- "Hello, everyone. I am Sajid. Today I'd like to share with you a brand-new product." Kaleem Sajid, a Pakistani expat in China, usually begins with this opening line when live-streaming.

Due to detailed introductions and a humorous style when presenting in fluent Chinese, Sajid has gained millions of followers on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

Sajid was born into a farming family in Pakistan. Despite the isolation of his remote hometown, as well as lack of access to modern communication facilities when he grew up, Sajid heard a lot about China from others. His first impressions of China were "a peace-loving nation" and "a good friend of Pakistan."

In 2006, Sajid came to China from Pakistan to study at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in east China's Jiangsu Province.

When he first arrived in China, Sajid encountered many challenges such as the language barrier, an unfamiliar environment and different dietary habits. However, he did not give up in the face of these challenges. Rather, he was determined to communicate with people around him, and found that his Chinese quickly improved.

"I can still remember how warm and friendly the dormitory staff were to us at school. One of my motivations for practicing spoken Chinese was so that I could express my gratitude to them," Sajid said.

In 2010, when Sajid was about to graduate from university, he met his wife, who is from Suqian City in Jiangsu. They got married after overcoming some of the challenges that many international couples tend to be faced with. Sajid and his wife now have a son and daughter.

After graduation, Sajid spent some time working as an international trade manager in Shanghai. In 2019, he set up Batie Media Co., Ltd. in Suqian, after being fascinated by China's e-commerce boom.

"I found that delivery services in China are quite fast, and large e-commerce platforms abound. Therefore, I became interested in e-commerce business, and started to learn about live-streaming as well as cross-border e-commerce," Sajid revealed. He has since been engaged in exporting Chinese products to Pakistan and introducing products from across the world to China.

Having lived in China for nearly 20 years, Sajid often shares his first-hand experience of China's rapid development and changes with his family in Pakistan.

"China's high-speed railway is very clean and comfortable. The attendants are very polite. If I place a cup on the tray table, I find that no water spills out along the entire journey," Sajid said in a short video he posted online.

Sajid has also championed the friendship between China and Pakistan, and offered help when natural disasters struck certain areas in China.

This year, when floods hit some regions in China, Sajid and his wife donated instant noodles, mineral water and other supplies to the affected areas.

"China and Pakistan have strong economic and cultural ties, and they offer each other support when faced with difficulties," said Sajid.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, which has generated great opportunities for Pakistan in Sajid's view.

"Thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative, Pakistan's business environment and infrastructure have been improved," Sajid said, adding that tens of thousands of job opportunities were created for local people.

Meanwhile, with roads paved thanks to the initiative, local farmers have the confidence to expand their production, as they believe the roads will facilitate the sale of their products in Pakistan.

"I have been in China for many years. My biggest dream is to build a bridge between China and Pakistan, and promote cultural exchanges between the two countries," said Sajid.