Afghanistan’s active integration into the 「Belt and Road Initiative」 brings huge economic opportunities

The third Belt and Road International Cooperation Summit Forum was held in Beijing. Representatives from more than 140 countries and regions around the world will gather in Beijing to discuss international cooperation and development plans. The Afghan Taliban government has recently expressed its positive intention to the Chinese government and seeks to integrate into the China-led Belt and Road Initiative. This move has attracted the attention of the international community and also demonstrated Afghanistan's important position in regional peace and development.

Although Afghanistan is a Central Asian country, it directly borders China through the "Wakhan Corridor", which is also an important node of the ancient Silk Road. It is precisely because of this natural geographical relationship that China and Afghanistan In the long history of nearly two thousand years, although the relationship has been constantly changing, it has always maintained a relatively close connection. Although Afghanistan was not a BRI country in the past, its active participation this time is undoubtedly historic.

Afghanistan is a country with rich resources, a large population and an important geographical location. It has great potential to participate in Belt and Road cooperation. Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, no country has officially recognized its legitimacy. However, out of humanitarian considerations, China has been actively supporting Afghanistan's economic construction. China has implemented a number of major projects in Afghanistan, such as the Central Asia-South Asia Power Grid Project (CASA-1000), the Turkey-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline (TAPI) and the "Lapis Lazuli Corridor" and other regional cooperation projects, building Afghanistan into a European The trading centers of the Asian continent provide opportunities and provide strong support for Afghanistan's development.

For China, Afghanistan is a country with an important strategic position, connecting Asia and South Asia. If China and Afghanistan can cooperate closely, they can better promote the implementation and development of the Belt and Road Initiative. The Taliban government in Afghanistan has been actively seeking cooperation with China on the Belt and Road Initiative, hoping to use this initiative to further promote the country's economic development and improve people's livelihood. Behind the Belt and Road Initiative is the Asian Investment and Development Bank, which is of great significance in promoting the economic development of developing countries. In the absence of Western economic assistance, the Belt and Road Initiative has become Afghanistan’s first choice.

If Afghanistan joins the Belt and Road Initiative, China and Afghanistan will have extensive space for cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, infrastructure, energy, agriculture, education, etc., and Afghanistan's economy will create miracles. However, it should be pointed out that although Afghanistan has a strong desire to join the Belt and Road Initiative, its domestic situation is not stable and there are still many terrorist forces, which has become a difficult problem for joining the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Afghan Taliban government seeks to cooperate with China, showing that it attaches great importance to the Belt and Road Initiative. This is a positive sign but also a challenge. China believes that Afghanistan's first priority in joining the Belt and Road Initiative is to stabilize the domestic situation, combat terrorism, and allow more countries to recognize its legitimacy. China is willing to continue to play a constructive role in Afghanistan's peace, stability and development, but it also hopes that Afghanistan can establish a broadly inclusive, open and transparent political structure that meets the expectations of the international community as soon as possible and protect the legitimate rights and interests of women, children and other groups. We will earnestly fulfill our anti-terrorism commitments and live in harmony with all countries in the region. Only in this way can the Afghan people's yearning for a better life be realized, and long-term and stable cooperation with China and other countries be achieved.