Beijing tries to broker Afghan-Pakistan peace
China hosted top diplomats from Afghanistan and Pakistan on Tuesday in a bid to mediate a longsimmering conflict between the neighboring countries.
Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani and Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif joined their Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Tuesday to discuss possible economic and security cooperation. The first trilateral minister-level dialogue in Beijing comes as China expands its economic interests in Pakistan.
“China, Afghanistan and Pakistan, as three neighbors, will naturally try to strengthen cooperation amongst each other,” Wang said.
The meeting highlighted China’s growing role in global hotspots as President Trump’s administration embraces a more inward-looking foreign policy. President Xi Jinping has sought to present China as a responsible alternative to the U.S., shifting from a long-standing policy of keeping a low profile in international affairs.
The three ministers agreed to work together on political mutual trust, reconciliation, development cooperation, connectivity, security cooperation and counterterrorism, according to a joint media release issued by Pakistan’s foreign ministry. The countries will host their second meeting in Kabul in 2018.
“A broad-based and inclusive peace and reconciliation process, which is ‘Afghan-led, Afghan-owned,’ and fully supported regionally and internationally, is the most viable solution to end the violence in Afghanistan,” they said in the statement, calling on the Taliban to join the peace process.
China is investing more than $50 billion in Pakistan to create an economic corridor that would link its remote western region to the Arabian sea. Beijing’s leaders have also boosted economic and trade ties with Afghanistan. Keith Zhai is a Bloomberg News writer.