Beijing’s special envoy is actively traveling between Kabul and Islamabad to help achieve a ceasefire
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has announced that Beijing is directly facilitating a ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan, two neighboring nations embroiled in significant conflict since February.
According to ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, who posted on X on Monday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi engaged in phone discussions with his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts over the past week.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs has been traveling back and forth between Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Jian stated, further noting, “China’s diplomatic missions have also maintained close contact with both nations.”
Emphasizing China’s ongoing commitment to fostering reconciliation and de-escalating tensions between the two neighbors, the spokesperson remarked, “China hopes Afghanistan and Pakistan will maintain calm and show restraint, meet directly as soon as possible, reach a ceasefire at the earliest chance, and settle disagreements and conflicts through discussion.”
Weeks of conflict have ensued between Pakistan and Afghanistan since Islamabad declared an “open war” in February. Pakistan has carried out strikes on military and other installations deep within its western neighbor, including its capital, Kabul.
The deteriorating relationship between the estranged neighbors is also linked to Kabul’s growing interactions with India, Pakistan’s long-standing adversary.
China dispatched a special envoy to Afghanistan earlier this month, following the collapse of a truce facilitated by Qatar and Turkey in October last year.
Pakistan alleges that Kabul is sheltering fighters from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claims that the Taliban refutes. For China, this conflict is more than just a security crisis; it poses a direct threat to its wider strategic goals for regional integration.
Islamabad has asserted that Afghan forces have sustained close to 1,000 casualties during the recent cross-border escalation.