• Dublin, United States
  • |
  • Oct, 17th, 24

XINHUA-PAKISTAN SERVICE

CPEC to get extended to Afghanistan: Wang YiBreaking

December 26, 2017

BEIJING, Dec. 26 (INP): China and Pakistan will look at extending China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced here on Tuesday. This will be part of China's ambitious Belt and Road plan linking China with Asia, Europe and beyond. China has tried to position itself as a helpful party to promote talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan, both neighbours ever since Pakistan's independence in 1947. Speaking after the first trilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Wang said China hoped the economic corridor could benefit the whole region and act as an impetus for development. Afghanistan has an urgent need to develop and improve people's lives and hopes it can join inter-connectivity initiatives, Wang told reporters, as he announced that Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed to mend their strained relations. "So China and Pakistan are willing to look at, with Afghanistan, on the basis of win-win, mutually beneficial principles, using an appropriate means to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan," he added. China has pushed for Pakistan and Afghanistan to improve their own ties so they can better tackle the violence in their respective countries, and has also tried to broker peace talks among the relevant parties. Wang said China fully supported peace talks between the Afghan government and Taleban and would continue to provide "necessary facilitation". INP/J/AJ