China vows to help Afghanistan, Pakistan resolve their disputes
- Beijing approves of greater cooperation on security and is willing to provide support and help to both central Asian countries to improve ties, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says
China pledged to help Afghanistan and Pakistan overcome long-standing suspicions, as officials from the three nations met on Saturday in the latest round of diplomacy aimed at opening talks with the Taliban to end the Afghan war.
China, a close ally of Pakistan, has lately deepened its economic and political ties with Kabul and is using its influence to try to bring the two uneasy South Asian neighbours closer, at a time when the United States has sought Pakistan’s help with faltering Afghan peace talks.
The Chinese government’s top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, met the foreign ministers of Afghanistan and Pakistan in Kabul to put into effect a memorandum of understanding on security cooperation and support for Afghanistan’s efforts to open talks with the Taliban.
“China approves of this, and is willing to provide support and help for Pakistan and Afghanistan to improve their ties,” Wang told reporters after the meeting.
The meeting, which followed initial talks between the three countries a year ago, is the latest sign of Beijing’s increasing engagement in the region, where it has invested massively in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a central part of its global “Belt and Road Initiative”.