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KABUL – Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan have reaffirmed their commitment to intensifying joint efforts against terrorism while agreeing to expand economic and regional cooperation, including the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghanistan.
The announcement came during the Sixth Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue held in Kabul on Wednesday, attended by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi. The three sides outlined plans to strengthen collaboration in trade, transit, regional development, health, education, culture, and drug control.
On the sidelines, Pakistan and Afghanistan held a bilateral meeting where both countries welcomed the upgrade of diplomatic representation from chargé d’affaires to ambassadorial level, signaling a new phase in bilateral relations. The ministers reviewed progress on previous decisions from earlier meetings in Kabul and Beijing, noting tangible gains in trade and transit.
However, security cooperation remains a point of concern. Deputy Prime Minister Dar highlighted the ongoing threat of terrorist attacks inside Pakistan by groups operating from Afghan soil, specifically citing the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)/Majeed Brigade. He urged Afghanistan to take “concrete and verifiable” measures against these groups. In response, Acting Foreign Minister Muttaqi reiterated Afghanistan’s commitment to preventing its territory from being used against Pakistan or any other country.
Earlier, the Pakistani delegation, accompanied by Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq, Special Representative for Afghanistan, and senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arrived in Kabul to discuss enhancing trilateral cooperation, particularly in trade, regional connectivity, and counterterrorism initiatives.
The ministers also agreed to deepen cooperation under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and to advance the CPEC extension into Afghanistan, aiming to boost regional economic integration and shared prosperity. This follows the last trilateral meeting on May 21, where the countries emphasized trilateral cooperation as a vital platform for promoting regional security and economic connectivity.
The dialogue underscores the strategic importance of Afghanistan in South and Central Asian regional stability and the growing role of China and Pakistan in facilitating economic and security frameworks across the region.
