According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, there will be a detailed discussion on political, economic and regional cooperation in the Kabul talks.
What you should know
Chinese and Pakistani foreign ministers have reached Afghanistan. They have reached Afghanistan for the tripartite talks between China, Pakistan and Afghanistan to be held in Kabul.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar were welcomed by Taliban officials. According to the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, the talks organized by Kabul will discuss broad topics including political, economic and regional cooperation.
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also said that the meeting will focus on expanding trade, improving regional connectivity and strengthening joint efforts against terrorism.
After an unexpected visit in March 2022, Wang visited Afghanistan for the first time. According to the Chinese media, he will go on a three-day visit to Pakistan after this meeting. He will hold further talks with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and his counterpart Ishaq Dar.
According to Pakistani media, the main agenda of the meeting will be counter-terrorism efforts and the expansion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan. CPEC is a flagship project of China's ambitious 'Belt and Road Initiative' under the BRI.
This meeting is expected to pave a new way for regional economic integration and stability.
The world has not formally recognized the Taliban government. But China and Pakistan seem to be establishing diplomatic relations with the Taliban.
Beijing has been assisting Afghanistan as needed. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang formally invited Afghanistan to join the CPEC at the tripartite meeting held in Beijing last May.
Similarly, Pakistan sent its ambassador to Kabul for the first time since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. However, both China and Pakistan have not formally recognized the Taliban government.
Taliban's international relations improving
Russia recently became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban government. Although no country other than Russia has given formal recognition, the Taliban has established high-level talks and diplomatic relations with countries including China and the United Arab Emirates. This shows that the international involvement of the Taliban is increasing .
Only last month, the Deputy Commerce Ministers of the two countries signed a trade agreement to cut taxes on agricultural exports. Also, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan have agreed to study the feasibility of a railway line connecting Central Asia with Pakistani ports, which will also link to CPEC .
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