Be more like Pakistan, China tells Afghanistan and Nepal at four-country meet

China on Monday urged Afghanistan, Nepal and Pakistan to forge “four-party cooperation” to beat the Covid-19 disaster and proceed work on tasks underneath the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), together with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Presiding over a digital assembly together with his counterparts from the three nations, China’s overseas minister Wang Yi mentioned the 4 states ought to work collectively to increase CPEC to Afghanistan.

The video convention, organised by Beijing ostensibly to debate the Covid-19 pandemic, was held in opposition to the backdrop of the months-long India-China border standoff. Given India’s at present strained ties with Nepal, the assembly is unlikely to go down effectively with the overseas coverage institution in New Delhi.

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Wang, one in all China’s senior-most diplomats with the rank of state councillor, mentioned the 4 states ought to give “full play to geographic advantages, strengthen exchanges and connections between the four countries and Central Asian countries, and maintain regional peace and stability”, based on a press release in Mandarin issued on Monday evening.

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The 4 nations must also “actively promote the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the trans-Himalayan three-dimensional interconnectivity network, support the extension of [CPEC] to Afghanistan, and further release the regional interconnection dividend”, he mentioned.

Even for China, it’s uncommon to name for four-party cooperation in South Asia with out involving India. But the transfer suits Beijing’s present narrative.

The assertion from China’s overseas ministry indicated Beijing is taking a look at a extra everlasting cooperation mechanism with the three South Asian nations than simply working collectively to counter the pandemic.

The assembly added to Beijing’s personal narrative that it is able to play a much bigger position in war-torn Afghanistan’s peace course of. For Nepal, it was a chance to ship out a message about its more and more cosy ties with China amid the strained relations with India.

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As for Pakistan, Wang himself cited the instance of “iron brother” ties between Islamabad and Beijing. Emphasising that having good neighbours is “good fortune”, Wang known as on Nepal and Afghanistan to comply with the instance of Sino-Pakistan cooperation to battle the pandemic.

Wang mentioned studying from the Sino-Pakistan cooperation, Afghanistan and Nepal ought to develop four-nation joint prevention and management of Covid-19 and make preparations for epidemic prevention, resumption of financial exercise and personnel exchanges.

He mentioned underneath the precept of anti-epidemic cooperation, the 4 nations ought to open up “fast channels” and “green channels” for personnel and logistics as quickly as doable.

They must also strengthen joint prevention and management in border areas, and body collectively recognised customary working procedures for epidemic notification, prevention, administration and management, he mentioned.

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As a part of post-pandemic restoration and financial growth, Wang mentioned, the opposite nations ought to firmly promote the joint building of BRI, promote the resumption of key cooperation tasks, preserve the steadiness of commercial and provide chains, and create new financial development factors within the digital area.

The on-line assembly was joined by Pakistan’s overseas and financial ministers, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Khushro Bakhtiar, Nepal’s overseas minister Pradeep Gyawali and Afghanistan’s appearing overseas minister Hanif Atmar.