China's Backing for CPEC Expansion into Afghanistan
China has expressed its support and enthusiasm for the renewed trade relations and people-to-people exchanges between Pakistan and Afghanistan. This positive development comes as both neighboring nations successfully navigated the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Recently, Pakistan and Afghanistan triumphed over the Covid-19 obstacles, leading to the restoration of their trade ties and cross-border interactions. Hua Chunying, the Spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, conveyed China's applause for this achievement during her regular briefing.
P.c. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
Pakistan has taken proactive steps to assist war-ravaged Afghanistan in revitalizing its trade sector by opening five crucial routes. Initially closed in March due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Pakistan has now reopened key crossings, including Torkham in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Chaman in southwest Balochistan province, facilitating both bilateral and Afghan transit trade. These border crossings now operate around the clock, six days a week, aimed at alleviating the trade disruptions caused by the pandemic.
In addition to these major routes, Pakistan has unlocked three other routes with Afghanistan: Ghulam Khan in North Waziristan tribal district, Angor Adda in South Waziristan tribal district, and Kharlachi in Kurram tribal district.
Hua emphasized China's interest as a neighbor and friend to both countries in fostering improved relations and economic growth. She stated, "We will gladly play a constructive role in this regard." Furthermore, China supports extending the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, enabling Afghan citizens to benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
China is pleased to witness the Gwadar port and other CPEC initiatives contributing positively to this endeavor and is eager to collaborate with both Pakistan and Afghanistan toward this goal.
Experts view Pakistan's decision to open trade routes with Afghanistan as a positive step, with the potential to significantly enhance regional connectivity. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has the capacity to establish vital links between Pakistan and Central Asia via Afghanistan.
The transit trade agreement signed between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan in 1965, revised in 2010, seeks to streamline the movement of goods between the two nations. Since January 2020, Afghan trade has been utilizing the Gwadar port, a central component of CPEC, as a shorter route compared to the Karachi port. In October of the previous year, Pakistan opened the Gwadar port for Afghan transit trade due to the port's capacity to handle bulk cargoes for Afghanistan. The first shipment of containers for Afghan transit trade arrived at the Gwadar port on January 14, 2020. Encouraged by favorable policies, a cargo ship carrying approximately 16,000 tonnes of urea for transit to Afghanistan arrived at the Gwadar port in May.