ISLAMABAD – China will host the next round of the strategic dialogue oncooperation between Afghanistan link> and Pakistan link> at the end of thismonth in Beijing, a top diplomat said.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing said this while addressing theAfghan-Pak-China track-II discussion titled “China-Afghanistan-Pakistan:Engagement for Sustainable Growth”, organized by RPI, the Chinese Embassy &CPDS.

China proposed hosting the three-way talks this month to continue with itsdiplomatic push to help the two neighboring countries improve theirstrained bilateral ties.

Jing told the conference of government representatives and experts from thethree countries in Islamabad on Tuesday that Beijing had initiated thetrilateral vice foreign minister-level dialogue in 2015.

Since then, several rounds of talks have taken place, with the mission ofeasing Kabul’s tensions with Islamabad and promoting security,counterterrorism and economic cooperation among the three nations.

“So, for this purpose the Chinese government has proposed to … hold thenext round of the strategic dialogue and also the practical cooperationdialogue at the end of this month in Beijing,” Jing announced.

The engagement would further enhance “our sense of a common community, oursense of development, our sense of a common destiny of the threecountries,” the ambassador added.

Without the participation and common development of neighboring countries,including Pakistan and Afghanistan, Beijing could not achieve thedevelopment of western China under its global Belt and Road Initiative(BRI), he commented.

​Both Chinese and Pakistani officials admit a peaceful Afghanistan is vitalfor promoting mutual and regional economic cooperation.

“Afghanistan and Pakistan occupy the central part, the hub of thisinitiative. Afghanistan is so crucial for the success of this initiative,”Jing said. He praised Islamabad and Kabul for achieving progress inMonday’s bilateral negotiations.