BEIJING: The foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan, and Pakistan reaffirmed their commitment to trilateral cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as well as jointly expanding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin.
During the 5th China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue in Islamabad, the three foreign ministers reached an agreement in this regard, he said during his regular briefing.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari presided over the meeting, which State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Acting Foreign Minister of the Afghan Interim Government Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi also attended.
Afghanistan’s major change in 2021
This is the first foreign ministers’ dialogue between all three countries since Afghanistan’s major change in 2021, which marks the revival of the mechanism.
Wang Wenbin stated that the three ministers held an open and comprehensive discussion about good neighborliness, mutual trust, security cooperation, counterterrorism, connectivity, trade, and investment and came to share opinions.
At the end of the dialogue, a joint statement was published. He stated that the three parties agreed to enhance and expand cooperation in the security, development, and political domains, as well as to coordinate and cooperate on security, organized crime, drug smuggling, and other concerns.
\The foreign ministers emphasized the need of avoiding to permit any particular group or party, especially the TTP and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), to use the country to harm or threaten national security and interests, or to conduct terrorist acts.
The three sides emphasized the importance of remaining neutral while promoting Afghan peace, stability, and reconstruction. They underlined their determination to harness Afghanistan’s potential as regional connectivity, as well as their commitment to trilateral cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as well as to jointly expand the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan.
The three countries will advance connectivity, and infrastructure in norms and standards, investigate facilitating measures for people and trade movement and increase strength and collaboration in agriculture, trade, energy, capacity building, and other areas.
The three ministers urged the international community to engage Afghanistan constructively. He went on to say that they encouraged relevant countries to eliminate unilateral sanctions, return overseas assets, and create possibilities for prosperity in Afghanistan for the benefit of the Afghan people.
He stated that, as State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang stated, China is ready to strengthen policy coordination, enhance strategic mutual trust, and scale up counterterrorism and security cooperation through the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan trilateral channel.
China is also eager to strengthen development cooperation, and all three countries may set an example of neighborly collaboration on hotspot issues, promoting regional stability and prosperity, he added.
