China and Pakistan take steps to curb India’s influence in Afghanistan.
The Pakistani newspaper Express Tribune reported that in a trilateral meeting held in Kabul with the participation of representatives of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the three countries agreed to expand economic and regional cooperation, especially the expansion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project to Afghan territory.
The meeting, which was held behind closed doors, was attended by Amir Khan Muttaqi, Foreign Minister of the Taliban government, Yu Xiaoyong, China’s special representative, and Muhammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan.
Sources informed the Pakistani media that the agreement is part of a joint initiative to redesign the balance of power in Afghanistan and contain India’s influence in the country.
Pakistani media have claimed that if the plan is fully implemented, India’s role in Afghanistan will be limited to diplomatic levels. It is also said that the Taliban government has implicitly supported Pakistan’s position on the April 22 incident in the Pahalgam region and has distanced itself from strategic rapprochement with New Delhi.
The sources also said that the three countries agreed to host the sixth round of trilateral foreign ministers’ talks in Kabul for the first time, a decision that some experts believe reflects China and Pakistan’s efforts to further legitimize the Taliban and reduce the influence of Western actors in Afghanistan.
In the economic sector, Chinese and Pakistani representatives also met with Taliban Commerce Minister Nooruddin Azizi and discussed ways to develop trade cooperation and regional connectivity through Afghanistan. China has announced that it will support the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan politically and economically and will turn the CPEC project into a broader transit route in the region.