ISLAMABAD: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is set to visit Islamabad on Thursday to co-chair the sixth Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, following a trilateral meeting in Kabul with Pakistan and Afghanistan on counter-terrorism and other regional issues.
According to a statement from Afghanistan’s foreign ministry on Tuesday, “On August 20, Mr. Wang Yi, a member of the political bureau of China’s ruling party and foreign minister, along with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, will travel to Kabul for a trilateral meeting.”
The discussions are expected to focus on progress made on previous commitments, including counter-terrorism cooperation, extending the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, and enhancing regional trade and connectivity. “The participants will exchange views on the future of relations based on common interests, mutual understanding, and broad cooperation,” the ministry said.
This will be the first meeting of its kind hosted in Afghanistan since the Taliban assumed control of Kabul and will bring together Wang, Dar, and Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi for a full day of dialogue. In addition, Wang will hold bilateral talks with senior Taliban officials on political and economic cooperation. The previous trilateral session among the three foreign ministers took place in Beijing on May 21.
Following the Kabul meeting, Wang Yi will travel to Islamabad on August 21 to co-chair the Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue. The fifth round of this high-level dialogue was held in Beijing in May 2024, also co-chaired by Wang and Ishaq Dar.
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The Pakistani Foreign Office stated that Wang’s visit “is part of regular high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China aimed at deepening their ‘All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership,’ reaffirming support on core interests, enhancing economic and trade cooperation, and strengthening joint commitment to regional peace, development, and stability.”
Last month, on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation event, FM Dar met Wang to reaffirm mutual support across key sectors, including agriculture, mining, industry, and security.