China, Pakistan, Afghanistan to construct joint Belt & Road projects

New Delhi/Beijing, Jun 4: China, Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to explore ways to deepen trilateral cooperation and substantively expand the Belt and Road Initiative in Afghanistan, so as to bring more benefits to the people of the region.
Foreign ministers of the three countries held talks, hosted by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in Guiyang on Thursday. Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi joined the dialogue via video link.
Wang said that the current international and regional situations are undergoing complex and profound changes, and the security and stability of Afghanistan and the region are facing new challenges.
Under such circumstances, it is more necessary for the three countries to strengthen communication and cooperation to make the situation in Afghanistan more conducive to the common interests of Afghanistan and other countries in the region, Wang said, reports state-run Xinhua news agency.
Atmar and Qureshi said Afghanistan and Pakistan are willing to forge closer and more friendly neighbouring partnership with China, strengthen joint construction of the Belt and Road, deepen cooperation in politics, economy and connectivity, and jointly promote peace, stability and development of the three countries and the region.
The three sides called for practically advancing the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan, and ceasefire should be realised and violence should be ended at an early date.
They agreed that the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan should be carried out in a responsible and orderly manner to prevent the deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan and the return of terrorist forces.
China wants to invest in Afghanistan, eying its natural resources, especially copper. But it is wary of the security situation in the South Asian country in the wake of US troops drawdown by September 11.
China is concerned about the constant fighting between the government and the Taliban and Afghan groups. It is equally wary of the country becoming a den of Islamic insurgents who could threaten security and stability in its Xinjiang region.
Xinhua said China and Pakistan reaffirmed their firm support for the Afghan peaceful reconstruction and their willingness to expand economic and trade exchanges with Afghanistan, and to assist Afghanistan in enhancing its development capacity.