On his first visit to the country, China’s Special Envoy on Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong on Thursday arrived in India and held talks with a senior Indian official regarding the overall situation in the war-torn nation, reported ANI. While it was a quiet visit that took place earlier this week, Xiaoyong also took to Twitter to share a picture from the meeting.
Notably, it was the official’s first visit to India which came over four months after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi travelled to India.
Speaking about the meeting, the Chinese envoy held wide-ranging talks on the Afghanistan issue with the External Affairs Ministry’s Joint Secretary, J P Singh, who handles Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran.
Good to visit India first time ever meeting w/ Mr. I. P. Singh, Joint Secre’y of Indian FM and exchanged views on Afghanistan. Both agreed to encourage engagement, enhance dialogue and give positive energy for Afghan peace and stability. pic.twitter.com/HqtpVfadrW — Dr. Yue Xiaoyong岳晓勇（Yueh Hsiaoyung) (@stuartyueh) August 4, 2022
Following the meeting, as both the officials exchanged views on Afghanistan, they also agreed to encourage engagement, enhance dialogue and give positive energy to Afghan peace and stability
The visit by the Chinese envoy also signalled Beijing’s acknowledgement of New Delhi’s important role in Afghanistan, reported PTI citing sources. However, no discussions are said to have been concerning resuming engagements between India and China amid the eastern Ladakh border standoff.
China’s offer to extend CPEC to Afghanistan
Notably, it has been evident about China’s growing inclusivity in Afghanistan ever since the Taliban took over the country. Recently, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also offered to support the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan.
The offer was made to Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan’s Interim Government Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi when they met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.
“China hopes to push the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with the development strategies of Afghanistan, support the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, and share China’s development opportunities,” Wang was quoted as saying by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on its website.
Image: ANI