Wakhan Transit Route Opens, but China Remains Wary Over Security Concerns
The Taliban administration on Oct. 4 inaugurated a 121-kilometre road along the Wakhan district of Badakhshan province to the Chinese border, after three years of construction at a cost of about 365 million afghani, funded by the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. The route is intended to serve as a suitable alternative to Pakistani crossings and to improve Afghanistan’s ability to expand trade with China and regional markets, especially as the crisis in relations between Kabul and Islamabad has halted commerce.
However, China has still not accepted its border for regular commercial traffic along this route and did not send any representative to the opening ceremony. The Taliban administration’s concerns about the security of this corridor, particularly Beijing’s fears over possible activity by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement in China’s Xinjiang region, are seen as a major obstacle.
The Diplomat magazine has stressed that until these security issues are resolved and the ground is prepared for the formal reopening of the border, the Wakhan route will not be recognised as a stable and key trade link between Afghanistan and China. This highlights the practical limitations and challenges facing the Taliban administration in delivering on its economic promises and infrastructure development, which could negatively affect Afghanistan’s economy.
