August 21, 2025, ISLAMABAD: The foreign ministers of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan on Wednesday agreed to expand their cooperation in multiple fields, including extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Kabul. Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi took part in the 6th Trilateral Foreign Ministers Dialogue in Kabul, which focused on political, economic and security cooperation .
The agreement on extension of the multi-billion-dollar CPEC comes as Islamabad and Beijing are expected to launch the second phase of the project later this month, during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. Pakistan’s Foreign Office stated on X that the three sides "committed to strengthen joint efforts against terrorism" .
"They also reaffirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration in trade, transit, regional development, health, education, culture, and combating drug trafficking, as well as, extension of CPEC to Afghanistan," the statement added. This marks the first visit by China’s foreign minister to Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power in 2021, and the third visit by Ishaq Dar to the Afghan capital since April .
According to sources, China has played a mediating role in easing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In a bilateral meeting with his Afghan counterpart, Pakistan’s foreign minister highlighted an "increase in terrorist attacks" in Pakistan by outfits allegedly operating from Afghanistan, as per the Foreign Office . During the last trilateral meeting in May in Beijing, the three foreign ministers had initially agreed to expand CPEC to Afghanistan to boost "trilateral" cooperation .
India has strongly criticized the CPEC, as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. New Delhi is also opposed to China’s broader Belt and Road initiative, of which CPEC is a part .
