BEIJING: Afghanistan should be linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to "economically integrate" the nation, according to Beijing and Islamabad.

The resolution was assembled for the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting in Tashkent as top diplomats of the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), CPEC comprises a corridor of infrastructure, mining and connectivity projects. It begins in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China, and related projects extend to the Balochistan province of Pakistan. Beijing and Islamabad are allegedly "illegally occupying" parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Leh regions, according to New Delhi, which has drawn criticism from the CPEC.

On Thursday, Taliban's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki and Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met Wang Yi and the attendees of the SCO summit. According to a statement issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday, Wang also met Muttaki personally.
According to an official statement from Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO), Bhutto told Wang that CPEC development has entered a "new phase", with emphasis on agriculture, science and technology, not just connectivity. .

For his part, Muttaki suggested that Pakistan "expand trade" with its neighbors in Central Asia through Afghanistan.
Of all its neighbours, Pakistan has the longest border with Afghanistan.

The Chinese representative also said that Beijing would resume issuing visas for travelers arriving from Afghanistan from August 1 to advance the country's regional economic integration. Beijing will also waive duties on about 98 percent of Afghanistan's exports to China.

India intensifies criticism of CPEC

On the other hand, the Indian government on Thursday reiterated its opposition to the expansion of CPEC in so-called "third countries", declaring that no "third country" should be part of the connectivity initiative.

He declined to specify what action New Delhi would take if a third country "becomes involved" in the bilateral project, known as CPEC.
According to Bagchi, any third country's participation in the CPEC, "would directly infringe on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India," he claimed earlier this week.
Following the third meeting of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Joint Working Group (JWG-ICC) on International Cooperation and Coordination, which took place on 23 July, the response was brief.

During the meeting, Beijing and Islamabad agreed that the expansion of the CPEC in Afghanistan would improve "regional connectivity".
Indian media reports that at the SCO meeting, New Delhi's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will also hold a private meeting with Muttaki during the conference.

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