Pakistan, China and Afghanistan discuss trade and counter-terrorism

Islamabad: Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan held a tripartite dialogue in Islamabad to discuss trade, connectivity, counter-terrorism, and political engagement. The foreign ministers from the three countries engaged in productive talks, Pakistani officials said they look forward to advancing regional cooperation under the trilateral framework.

During the talks, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari emphasized the importance of peace and stability in Afghanistan for socio-economic development, connectivity, and prosperity in the region. He also stressed the need to work together with all stakeholders for a peaceful, stable, prosperous, and united Afghanistan.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang reiterated China’s commitment to stepping up counter-terrorism and security cooperation with Afghanistan and Pakistan to jointly fight terrorist threats. Bilawal Bhutto also said that the issue of terrorism which “poses a serious threat to regional stability and peace” is the core issue for Pakistan and that working together is vital to helping the people of Afghanistan.

The foreign ministers also discussed the establishment of a counter-terrorism platform to include representatives from the three countries.

Islamabad and Beijing emphasised the importance of the international community continuing to provide assistance and support to Afghanistan, which includes unfreezing Afghanistan’s overseas financial assets.. Afghan interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who is subject to a travel ban by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), was given an exemption to visit Islamabad and discuss mutual issues.

Earlier, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang held a strategic dialogue with Bhutto Zardari and the two officials discussed multidimensional cooperation, trade, connectivity, and high-quality development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Muttaqi also held a bilateral meeting with the Pakistani foreign minister on Sunday.

Both the Chinese and Afghan foreign ministers separately held meetings with Pakistan’s army chief Syed Asim Munir. During the meeting, Gen Munir and Qin Gang agreed to enhance existing cooperation in defense and security domains to effectively counter common security challenges. Qin Gang reiterated China’s commitment to ensuring the timely completion of an economic corridor connecting Pakistan and China.

Meanwhile, Gen Munir and Muttaqi discussed issues related to regional security, border management, and formalization of bilateral security mechanisms and cooperation to effectively tackle the terrorism challenge.