Afghan and Chinese officials hold talks in Kabul

Chinese Ambassador to Kabul Zhao Xing on Monday met with acting Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and discussed bilateral issues, including the Wakhan Corridor.

According to a statement from the Interior Ministry, the two sides discussed the Wakhan Corridor’s strategic importance, improving trade relations, and expanding passenger flight operations.

Both sides underscored the importance of deepening bilateral cooperation and taking concrete steps to advance common interests.

Meanwhile, Afghan officials in Badakhshan province dismissed reports of Pakistani forces in the Wakhan district.

“There have been no credible reports confirming the presence of the foreign military in the area,” state-run Bakhtar News Agency quoted Ehsanullah Kamgar, Badakhshan police spokesman, as saying.

Kamgar added that Afghan forces are fully prepared to tackle any potential threats along the borders.

The Wakhan Corridor is a narrow strip of territory in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province that links to China’s Xinjiang region. It also separates Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region to the north from Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Gilgit-Baltistan region.