Afghanistan, China, and Pakistan have agreed to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghan soil, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister Ishaq Dar announced on Wednesday after a meeting of the three countries in Beijing.
India has for long opposed the CPEC, a flagship venture under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as a key part of it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). India’s concerns in this regard have been conveyed to the Taliban regime in Kabul, which has been courted by China and Pakistan for the CPEC extension.
Following an informal trilateral meeting in Beijing with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, Dar said in a social media post that the three sides agreed to deepen cooperation under the BRI and extend the CPEC to Afghanistan.
The post by Dar, who is also Pakistan’s foreign minister, gave no other details. There was no immediate response to Dar’s comments from Indian officials.
Dar also said the three ministers “reaffirmed trilateral cooperation as a vital platform to promote regional security and economic connectivity”. They discussed enhancing diplomatic engagement, strengthening communications, and taking “practical steps to boost trade, infrastructure, and development as key drivers of shared prosperity”.
{{/usCountry}}Dar also said the three ministers “reaffirmed trilateral cooperation as a vital platform to promote regional security and economic connectivity”. They discussed enhancing diplomatic engagement, strengthening communications, and taking “practical steps to boost trade, infrastructure, and development as key drivers of shared prosperity”.
{{/usCountry}}The three ministers also “underscored their shared commitment to countering terrorism and fostering stability and development in the region”, Dar said.
In the past, India has expressed concern at China and Pakistan using CPEC to alter the status quo in the region, and said the connectivity project passes through Indian territory that is under “forcible” occupation by Pakistan. More recently, India has said the only aspect of the Kashmir issue it is willing to discuss with Pakistan is the return of PoK.
There was no official word from China’s foreign ministry and the Taliban about the extension of CPEC figuring in the trilateral meeting. A spokesman for the Taliban’s foreign ministry said Muttaqi assured Wang and Dar that relations with China and Pakistan will be developed based on respect.
Muttaqi described Afghanistan’s political and economic relations with the two countries as important, while the foreign ministers of China and Pakistan expressed their “commitment to good neighborliness and mutual respect”, the spokesman said. The three sides agreed to increase trade and facilitate transit, he added.
Wang held a separate meeting with Dar on Tuesday, during which the two sides decided to “create an upgraded version” of the CPEC and promote cooperation in industry, energy, minerals, counter-terrorism and security, according to a readout from China’s foreign ministry.
Dar briefed Wang on the situation following the understanding on halting of military operations between India and Pakistan and thanked China for making “significant contributions to promoting ceasefire for peace”, the readout said. Pakistan is also willing to maintain dialogue with India to ease the situation, Dar said.
Wang said China backs Pakistan and India in “properly handling their differences through dialogue, achieving a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire, and seeking fundamental solutions”.