Pakistan Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi both visited China recently.
On May 20, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Dar, who also serves as his country’s Deputy Prime Minister.
Wang Yi said that as ironclad friends, China will, as always, firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, exploring a development path suited to its national conditions, resolutely combating terrorism, and playing a greater role in international and regional affairs. Both sides should work together to create an upgraded version of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and promote cooperation in industry, agriculture, energy and minerals, human resource development, counter-terrorism and security, and other fields.
Mohammad Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan admires China’s new development achievements, especially in innovation and scientific and technological progress, and looks forward to strengthening all-round cooperation with China. He expressed the hope for continuous and strong support from China in overcoming current difficulties and promoting national development, security and stability.
Dar also briefed on the latest situation following the ceasefire reached between Pakistan and India, as well as Pakistan’s considerations in that regard. He thanked China for upholding justice and making unremitting efforts and significant contributions to promoting a ceasefire for peace, saying that Pakistan will resolutely safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and is willing to maintain dialogue with India to ease the situation.
Wang Yi stated that China welcomes and supports Pakistan and India in properly handling their differences through dialogue, achieving a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire, and seeking fundamental solutions to the issues between them.
The next day, Wang Yi met with Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Wang Yi welcomed Muttaqi’s visit to China on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He stated that China and Afghanistan are traditionally friendly neighbours, and both sides have always understood and supported each other and continuously advanced bilateral relations. China respects Afghanistan’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, the independent choices made by the Afghan people, as well as Afghanistan’s religious beliefs and ethnic culture. China has supported the Afghan people’s just struggle against aggression, never interfered in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, never sought selfish interests by instigating conflicts in Afghanistan, and never pursued so-called spheres of influence in Afghanistan. Since the establishment of the current Afghan government, China was the first to exchange new ambassadors with the country, demonstrating China’s friendship with the Afghan people. China will, as always, support the Afghan government in exercising governance in a moderate and prudent way, focusing on development, firmly combating terrorism, and pursuing good-neighbourliness and friendship, to achieve lasting peace and stability at an early date. China is ready to work with Afghanistan to expand cooperation in areas such as economy and trade, agriculture, energy and minerals, poverty reduction, disaster prevention and mitigation, talent cultivation, medical care and health, law enforcement, and security.
Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi expressed gratitude for China’s long-standing valuable assistance in Afghanistan’s national development and improvement of people’s livelihoods, as well as its efforts in upholding justice for Afghanistan on the international stage. The Afghan government cherishes the traditional friendship between Afghanistan and China and places friendly relations with China as a priority in its foreign policy. Afghanistan attaches importance to China’s security concerns and will never allow any forces to use Afghan territory to engage in activities detrimental to China. [China still has concerns that some forces in Afghanistan, principally Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-KP), which is opposed to the present government, may use Afghan territory, and the unstable security situation still prevailing in parts of the country, to support terrorist groups targeting China’s northwest Xinjiang region.]
Also on May 21, Wang Yi chaired an informal trilateral meeting with his Pakistani and Afghan counterparts.
Reviewing the outcome of the meeting, Wang identified seven main points, which included:
- China supports Afghanistan and Pakistan in pursuing development paths suited to their national conditions and in safeguarding their sovereignty, security and national dignity.
- It was agreed to give play to the role of the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue mechanism and to strive to convene the sixth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue in Kabul at an early date.
- Afghanistan and Pakistan expressed clear willingness to elevate diplomatic relations and agreed in principle to exchange ambassadors as soon as possible. China welcomed this and will continue to provide assistance for the improvement of Afghanistan-Pakistan relations. [Although Pakistan traditionally had a close relationship with the forces now constituting the present Afghan government, relations became strained following the latter’s taking power in Kabul, to the extent that there have been a number of armed clashes between the two countries. China’s present efforts in trilateral diplomacy need to be viewed not least in this light.]
- The three countries agreed to oppose all forms of terrorism, carry out law enforcement and security cooperation, jointly combat terrorist forces of concern to each side, and to stay vigilant against external interference in the internal affairs of regional countries.
The following articles were first published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Wang Yi Holds Talks with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar
May 20 (MFA) — On May 20, 2025, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing.
Wang Yi said that China and Pakistan have maintained close strategic communication on consolidating traditional friendship, strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly addressing challenges, which reflects the high level of bilateral relations. As ironclad friends, China will, as always, firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, exploring a development path suited to its national conditions, resolutely combating terrorism, and playing a greater role in international and regional affairs. China will continue to deepen the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with Pakistan, making the building of a China-Pakistan community with a shared future at the forefront of the building of a neighborhood community with a shared future. Both sides should work together to create an upgraded version of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and promote cooperation in industry, agriculture, energy and minerals, human resource development, counter-terrorism and security, and other fields.
Mohammad Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan cherishes the brotherly friendship with China, firmly abides by the one-China principle, and supports China in safeguarding its national interests and dignity. Pakistan admires China’s new development achievements, especially in innovation and scientific and technological progress, and looks forward to strengthening all-round cooperation with China. He expressed the hope for continuous and strong support from China in overcoming current difficulties and promoting national development, security and stability. Pakistan will make every effort to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan.
Mohammad Ishaq Dar briefed on the latest situation following the ceasefire understanding between Pakistan and India, as well as Pakistan’s considerations. He thanked China for upholding justice and making unremitting efforts and significant contributions to promoting ceasefire for peace, saying that Pakistan will resolutely safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and is willing to maintain dialogue with India to ease the situation.
Wang Yi stated that China welcomes and supports Pakistan and India in properly handling their differences through dialogue, achieving a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire, and seeking fundamental solutions. This serves the fundamental and long-term interests of both sides, contributes to regional peace and stability, and also meets the common expectations of the international community.
The two sides also exchanged views on strengthening regional cooperation and deepening coordination in multilateral mechanisms.
Wang Yi Meets with Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi
May 21 (MFA) — On May 21, 2025, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Beijing.
Wang Yi welcomed Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to China on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Afghanistan. He stated that China and Afghanistan are traditionally friendly neighbors, and both sides have always understood and supported each other and continuously advanced bilateral relations. Looking back at the 70-year history of exchanges between China and Afghanistan, adhering to good-neighborliness and friendship, mutual respect, and development cooperation has been an important experience. China respects Afghanistan’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, the independent choices made by the Afghan people, as well as Afghanistan’s religious beliefs and ethnic culture. China has supported the Afghan people’s just struggle against aggression, never interfered in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, never sought selfish interests by instigating conflicts in Afghanistan, and never pursued so-called spheres of influence in Afghanistan. Since the establishment of the Afghan government, China was the first to exchange new ambassadors with Afghanistan, demonstrating China’s friendship with the Afghan people. China will, as always, support the Afghan government in exercising governance in a moderate and prudent way, focusing on development, firmly combating terrorism, and pursuing good-neighborliness and friendship, to achieve lasting peace and stability at an early date. China is ready to work with Afghanistan to carry forward the traditional friendship, enhance political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, bring more benefits to both countries and peoples, and contribute to regional peace and stability.
Wang Yi said, China attaches importance to advancing key cooperation projects with Afghanistan and has continuously supported Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development. China is ready to work with Afghanistan to expand cooperation in areas such as economy and trade, agriculture, energy and minerals, poverty reduction, disaster prevention and mitigation, talent cultivation, medical care and health, law enforcement, and security. China will import more quality specialty products from Afghanistan and continue to provide support and assistance within its capacity for Afghanistan’s reconstruction, development, and improvement of people’s livelihoods.
Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi expressed gratitude for China’s long-standing valuable assistance in Afghanistan’s national development and improvement of people’s livelihoods, as well as its efforts in upholding justice for Afghanistan on the international stage. The Afghan government cherishes the traditional friendship between Afghanistan and China, places friendly relations with China as a priority in its foreign policy, and will continue to firmly abide by the one-China principle and oppose interference in China’s internal affairs. Afghanistan is willing to deepen mutual trust with China and promote more positive outcomes in friendly cooperation across various fields. Afghanistan attaches importance to China’s security concerns and will never allow any forces to use Afghan territory to engage in activities detrimental to China. Afghanistan is willing to strengthen security cooperation with China to combat violent crimes, safeguard China’s interests in Afghanistan, and jointly maintain regional security and stability.
Wang Yi on the Outcomes of the Trilateral Meeting of Foreign Ministers of China, Afghanistan and Pakistan
May 21 (MFA) — On May 21, 2025, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi chaired an informal trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan and Pakistan in Beijing. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and Acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi of Afghanistan attended the informal meeting. The three foreign ministers spoke positively of the outcomes of the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue and had a friendly and in-depth exchange of views on further tapping the potential of the trilateral mechanism and advancing mutually beneficial cooperation.
Wang Yi reviewed and summarized the outcomes of the meeting. There are mainly seven points:
First, to enhance political mutual trust and uphold good-neighborliness and friendship. China supports Afghanistan and Pakistan in pursuing development paths suited to their national conditions and in safeguarding their sovereignty, security and national dignity.
Second, to give play to the role of the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue mechanism and strive to convene the sixth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue in Kabul at an early date.
Third, to strengthen exchanges and diplomatic contacts. Afghanistan and Pakistan expressed clear willingness to
elevate diplomatic relations and agreed in principle to exchange ambassadors as soon as possible. China welcomed this and will continue to provide assistance for the improvement of Afghanistan-Pakistan relations.
Fourth, to deepen Belt and Road cooperation, promote the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan, and strengthen the building of regional connectivity networks.
Fifth, to advance practical cooperation, expand areas of cooperation, and take cooperation to a higher level. China and Pakistan support Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development, and stand ready to expand trade exchanges with Afghanistan and help it enhance its own capacity for development.
Sixth, to oppose all forms of terrorism, carry out law enforcement and security cooperation, jointly combat terrorist forces of concern to each side, and stay vigilant against external interference in the internal affairs of regional countries.
Seventh, to safeguard regional peace and stability, and strive to create a sound external environment for the development and revitalization of each side.
