Beijing, Kabul, Islamabad vow stronger cooperation

China, Afghanistan and Pakistan have pledged to deepen cooperation in trade, connectivity and security to promote regional peace and prosperity, as their foreign ministers met in Kabul on Wednesday for the sixth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar attended the talks. The trilateral mechanism, launched by China in 2017 and revived in 2022, serves as an important platform for the three neighbors to coordinate policies. An informal ministerial meeting held in Beijing in May helped maintain momentum for trilateral engagement.

Wang said China stands ready to work with Afghanistan and Pakistan to "strengthen exchanges at all levels and consolidate strategic trust".He called for expanded trade and investment, enhanced connectivity, stronger people-to-people ties, and joint efforts against cross-border terrorism.

He urged the three sides to "jointly oppose external interference in the region and reject the use of their territories by any force or individual to undermine each other's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity".

Beijing will continue to speak up for Kabul at multilateral forums, encourage constructive international engagement, and support the normalization of Afghanistan's foreign relations, Wang added.

Muttaqi praised China's role in advancing trilateral cooperation, saying Afghanistan hopes to deepen friendship and coordination for greater progress. Dar highlighted the vast potential of trilateral cooperation in trade, Belt and Road cooperation, connectivity and counterterrorism, urging the unfreezing of Afghanistan's overseas assets and calling for stronger collective action against terrorism in all forms.

The meeting marked Wang's second visit to Afghanistan since the withdrawal of United States-led troops and the Taliban's return to power in 2021, following a trip in March 2022. Analysts said the visits highlight China's intention to carry forward traditional friendship with Afghanistan and strengthen ties with the neighboring country.

Liu Zongyi, director of the Center for South Asian Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said that through platforms such as the trilateral dialogue, China and Pakistan have played a leading role among regional and international actors in promoting Afghanistan's stability, reconstruction and global engagement.

"While some Western countries have imposed unilateral sanctions and frozen billions in Afghan assets, Beijing has maintained that Afghanistan should not be excluded from the international community and has encouraged greater dialogue with Kabul to support the country's reconstruction," Liu said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Afghan Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund met with Wang. He described China as a "force for justice" in the world and commended its policy of noninterference. Akhund pledged that Afghanistan "will never allow its territory to be used to threaten China" and expressed readiness to advance "positive and sustainable "friendship with Beijing.

Wang reaffirmed that, as Afghanistan's neighbor, China will continue to champion fairness, oppose unilateral bullying and promote practical cooperation across all fields. He reiterated China's concerns about the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which is listed by the United Nations Security Council as a terrorist group, and urged Kabul to intensify its crackdown.

Wang also held separate meetings with Afghan Foreign Minister Muttaqi and Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani on Wednesday.

Compared with some countries "obsessed with geopolitical competition", Liu said, China "pursues a friendly policy toward all Afghan people and is a partner that Afghanistan can trust in its postwar future".

Despite shifting political circumstances, China-Afghanistan relations have remained stable, with diplomatic missions in both capitals operating normally and helping sustain bilateral relations, he added.

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn