Afghanistan, China and Pakistan agree to extend CPEC

The Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan have agreed to expand their cooperation in multiple fields, including the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Kabul. Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Afghanistan acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi took part in the 6th Trilateral Foreign Ministers Dialogue in Kabul, which focused on political, economic and security cooperation. The agreement on extension of the multi-billion-dollar CPEC comes as Islamabad and Beijing are expected to launch the second phase of the project later this month during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

In a social media post, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the three sides committed to strengthening joint efforts against terrorism. They also reaffirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration in trade, transit, regional development, health, education, culture, and combating drug trafficking, as well as, extension of CPEC to Afghanistan, it added.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, emphasized a shift in Afghanistan’s foreign policy approach, stating that Kabul no longer wants to be solely involved in security narratives but seeks to transform itself into a regional economic hub.Chinese foreign minister stated that economic and political cooperation between the two countries is expanding, and he described the upgrading of Afghanistan and Pakistan's diplomatic representations to embassies as a significant development.