China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan Ministers Hold Talks

Facts

• The foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan, and Pakistan pledged to further strengthen trilateral cooperation on security and counterterrorism during the China-Pakistan-Afghanistan trilateral foreign minister's dialogue in Islamabad on Sunday.¹
• Foreign ministers Qin Gang of the PRC, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of Pakistan, and Amir Khan Muttaqi of Afghanistan discussed deepening bilateral cooperation in trade, the economy, culture, and defense.²
• Pakistan's Presidency also said Pakistan and China are working together on regional peace and called for "increasing bilateral exchanges, people-to-people contacts, and cooperation in the fields of culture and tourism to further cement bilateral ties."³
• Afghanistan's acting foreign minister will also hold important meetings with Pakistani authorities in Islamabad on a wide range of issues — including political, economic relations, regional security, and transit trade.⁴
• China has interests in Afghanistan and the overall region. As part of its larger scheme to enhance regional connectivity, China has invested about $60B in the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.⁵
• Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was allowed to attend the trilateral meeting after a UN Security Council committee lifted a travel ban, freeze of assets, and arms embargo that had been placed on him through UN Security Council sanctions.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Daily Sabah, ³DAWN, ⁴News, ⁵Arab News PK, and ⁶The Hindu.

Narratives

• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Global Times. As it has already done with Iran and Saudi Arabia, China's goal in the Middle East is to bolster anti-terrorism security ties and economic partnerships with countries in the region. This is also an opportunity for Beijing to encourage and lead peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan, who in recent years have had bitter territorial disputes near their borders.
• Anti-China narrative, as provided by Nikkei Asia. Beijing has realized it cannot win over the West. Instead, it's looking for opportunities in the Global South — regions of the world that are in America's geographical and political backyard like Latin America and the Middle East. As Beijing aims to reshape the international order by reforming global structures to meet today's political reality, Washington must step up its efforts in these regions and put a stop to the PRC's ambitions.

Predictions