China has agreed in principle to extend the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghanistan, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister said Friday.
Ishaq Dar told reporters in Islamabad that the understanding was reached during recent trilateral talks with Kabul and Beijing and that details of the plan are now being finalised.
Under the proposal, Afghanistan would be linked to regional transit networks, including the planned Pakistan–Afghanistan–Uzbekistan railway. Dar said the project could expand trade, improve Afghanistan’s infrastructure and enhance border and security cooperation.
He added that discussions also focused on the return of Afghan refugees and management of cross-border movement. Islamabad, he said, hopes that with China’s support, trade and transit between the two countries will become smoother.
CPEC, launched in 2015, is a flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and has so far concentrated on infrastructure projects in Pakistan. If implemented, the extension would connect Afghanistan to one of Beijing’s largest regional connectivity schemes.
