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China moots Afghan entry into CPEC
Context
China on Tuesday flagged the possible inclusion of Afghanistan in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) — a move that is likely to irk India
What has happened?
Speaking to the media in Beijing on Tuesday, Mr. Wang (Chinese foreign minister) advocated that Afghanistan could join connectivity initiatives, in view of the urgency of improving its people’s lives
Backdrop
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remark of opening the door for Kabul’s entry in an expanded CPEC in the backdrop of the first foreign ministers trilateral dialogue of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan
Joint statement
A joint statement released at the end of the one day conference said that the three countries reaffirmed their commitment towards “advancing connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative”.
Analyst’ view: Balancing Chahbahar
Analysts say that the proposal for landlocked Afghanistan’s, access to the port of Gwadar — the starting point of CPEC — may be intended to balance if not undermine the trilateral agreement among India, Iran and Afghanistan, which gives Kabul access to the Iranian port of Chabahar.
