On May 21, 2025, Amir Khan Muttaqi, Ishaq Dar, and Wang Yi, the foreign ministers of China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan respectively, held a crucial trilateral summit in Beijing. The summit’s main objectives were to strengthen regional cooperation, extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghanistan, and promote peace and stability in South Asia.
Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan stand together for regional peace, stability, and development. pic.twitter.com/MX9fLJCG6L
— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) May 21, 2025
This conference came at a crucial moment, especially given the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan, which ended a brief but intense conflict and created new hopes for regional stability.
Bridges Through Trilateral Cooperation
The ministers during the meeting reaffirmed their mutual determination to greater security and economic cooperation. Specifically, they agreed on the proposal to expand the CPEC network into Afghanistan, directly linking it to China’s huge Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
This expansion is not merely infrastructure in fact, it is a move towards integrating Afghanistan into a larger regional economy. This will, in turn, provide new opportunities for trade, investment, and development.
Rare Break from Regional Turmoil
Additionally, the conference came in the wake of the new India-Pakistan ceasefire agreement, ending four days of violence that began as a result of fighting in Kashmir. China also was highly vocal in endorsing the ceasefire, once again stressing peaceful communication as the only mechanism towards regional stability. This message thus reflected the trilateral conference’s overall mission: to encourage peace through cooperation instead of confrontation.
Besides meeting Humanitarian and Security Requirements, the ministers also addressed urgent humanitarian matters, and foremost among them was the problem of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Pakistan has returned more than 80,000 Afghan citizens since March 2025, a situation that has worried all parties concerned. The conference thus offered a timely forum to address such concerns and how to manage them with tact and coordination.
Promise of Continuing Dialogue
Significantly, the three ministers decided to have their subsequent meeting in Kabul.This move underscores their determination to keep the dialogue going and examine further the changing political and security situation in Afghanistan. By keeping the channels open, they hope to enhance their capacity to overcome any potential future hurdles and prevent new tensions.
Overall, the trilateral summit in Beijing is not diplomatic rhetoric—it is a strategic shift toward closer cooperation in one of the world’s most complex regions. By extending CPEC into Afghanistan, meeting humanitarian needs, and uniting against geopolitical threats, China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are laying the groundwork for a more prosperous, stable, and integrated South Asia.
