On Thursday, China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister (FM), Wang Yi, hosted the fourth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue. According to the Chinese foreign ministry, the meeting aimed to address “uncertainties” in Afghanistan following “the unilateral withdrawal of US (United States) and NATO forces at a critical stage” of the reconciliation process.
Afghan FM Mohammad Haneef Atmar and Pakistani FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi, along with Wang, were able to successfully reach a consensus on the peace and reconciliation process, and trilateral cooperation in Afghanistan following the departure of US troops by September this year. The ministers agreed that the withdrawal of US troops should be carried out in a “responsible and orderly manner to prevent the deterioration of the security situation” in Afghanistan and the resurgence of terrorist forces.
Furthermore, China and Pakistan reaffirmed their support for Afghanistan’s peaceful reconstruction and their willingness to expand economic and trade exchanges with Kabul, and to assist the country in improving its self-development capacity. Along the sidelines of the meeting, Afghanistan and Pakistan also expressed intentions to strengthen communication and coordination, deepen political mutual trust, and create prospects for peace and cooperation.
According to Chinese state-owned media house Global Times, the diplomats also emphasised that the solution to the Afghan issue should be “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned” and that neighbours must extend their support to help Afghanistan in becoming “an independent, sovereign and neutral country, pursuing a moderate Muslim policy, firmly fighting against terrorism, and maintaining friendly ties with other countries.” In addition, the FMs also agreed that trilateral efforts must be strengthened to combat the “East Turkistan Islamic Movement” and other terrorist forces, so as to safeguard regional security and stability.
In other topics of discussions, Atmar and Qureshi said that their respective countries are willing to forge a closer partnership with China, enhance connectivity through joint construction of the Belt and Road, strengthen political and economic cooperation, and jointly promote peace, stability and development of the three countries and the region.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of new uncertainties that have been introduced in Afghanistan since US President Joe Biden announced its decision to withdraw all US troops from the war-torn nation before the 20th anniversary of 9/11 this year.
Despite the reduction in troop presence, the US is expected to remain “deeply engaged” with the Afghan government and extend not just diplomatic support to advance peace negotiations, but also work with other countries to provide economic and humanitarian tools “to protect the gains made by Afghan women” over the years. Furthermore, with regards to counterterrorism, a US government official stressed that the US was not overlooking signs of al-Qaeda’s resurgence and said that Washington will continue to work “relentlessly” with its partners to reposition its counterterrorism capabilities and retain significant assets in the region to counter such a threat.
China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have held three meetings since Beijing took the initiative to set up this trilateral mechanism in 2017. The participants have utilised the platform to enhance mutual trust and promote cooperation on regional issues.