Pakistani Ambassador To China Moin Ul Haque: I Think The Taliban Would Welcome An Invitation To Join China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque said that China and Pakistan have agreed in recent talks to extend the CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) to include Afghanistan under the Taliban. He made his remarks in an interview with China's official broadcaster CGTN's English language TV anchor that was posted on CGTN's YouTube channel, T-House, on September 7, 2021. Ambassador ul Haque said that he is certain that the Taliban would welcome such an invitation. He added that Pakistan and China have similar views on Afghanistan and its reconstruction and rebuilding.

Moin ul Haque: "As a neighbor of Afghanistan, the interests about China and Pakistan converge. We have similar views about the future of Afghanistan:  peace and stability of Afghanistan, the economic future of Afghanistan and its people, the rebuilding and reconstruction of Afghanistan.

"Recently, in Chengdu our foreign minister had the session, the third session of the strategic dialogue, where the issue of Afghanistan was discussed in detail. It was last month. At that time, these developments have not taken place. But at the time, also, we had given a very strong message that the two countries would like peace and stability of Afghanistan and a government which takes into account the interest of all ethnic groups in Afghanistan.

"Moving forward, the two countries can help in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. As you know, we have also agreed that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor could be extended to Afghanistan."

Interviewer: "Do you think that the Taliban would welcome that gesture to extend CPEC into Afghanistan?"

ul Haque: "Definitely, I think they have already given statements in welcoming the role of China for the future development of Afghanistan. And they’ve also welcomed Pakistan’s role in this process. We really see that any future government in Kabul would like to have engagement with its neighbors, with international community, especially Pakistan and China, for its economic needs and its development needs."