No to CPEC unless Pakistan provides access to India: President Ashraf Ghani

[akki]

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said that his country will not be a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) unless it is given access to Pakistan's Wagah and Attari border, DNA India reported on Wednesday.

Addressing a gathering at the Vivekananda International Foundation in New Delhi, Ghani said that Kabul will restrict Pakistan's access to central Asia if it is not given access to India through the CPEC project, according to the DNA article.

The comment comes a week after a meeting took place between representatives of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States in Oman, in which the revival of peace talks with the Taliban was discussed.

"Sanctuaries are provided, logistics are provided, training is provided, ideological base is provided [...] Pakistan has come to a juncture and it needs to make a choice," DNA quoted Ghani as saying. "Our reaction will be determined by its [Pakistan's] choices."

According to DNA, the Afghan president also welcomed India's new role in Afghanistan as discussed in the new US policy for the region.

Ghani termed the Trump administration's South Asia strategy a "game-changer" for the region as it "recommends multi-dimensional condition-based approach for the region."

Ghani visited India just a day after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's surprise visit to Afghanistan.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1366168/n...rovides-trade-access-to-india-president-ghani

 

[Syed1]

Their loss

 

[Eagle_Eye]

Pakistan always needs to keep the whip in hand.
Gani has any power other than making statemememts? Where and how will he get stuff to the outside world... or for that matter the largest market?

Waiting on someone to mention chabahar lol.

 

[Varun]

About time these two countries start to get along - Afghanistan and Pakistan that is.

India should have nothing to do with their friendship in an ideal world, they are natural partners.

 

[DRsohail]

they have to lose more than us.so there choice.

 

[Abdullah719]

China says it supports extension of CPEC to Afghanistan

(Karachi) China supports extension of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan as it will prove beneficial for the Afghan people.

In a tweet on Friday, Chinese Embassy in Pakistan stated, "China supports the extension of #CPEC to Afghanistan, which will bring more #BRI benefits to the Afghan people." It added, "China is pleased to see Gwadar port plays a positive role in this process & stands ready to work together with Pakistan & Afghanistan in this regard."

China also commended resumption of trade relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan after both the neighbouring countries managed to bring down the impact of coronavirus outbreak.

In recent days, Pakistan opened five major routes with Afghanistan for transit trade to help war-ravaged Afghanistan boost trade. The border crossings will remain open 24 hours a day and six days a week to facilitate cross-border trade, which has been affected due to the Covid-19 pandemic in both countries.

Besides the two major routes, Pakistan has also opened three other routes with Afghanistan including Ghulam Khan in North Waziristan tribal district, Angor Adda in South Waziristan tribal district and Kharlachi in Kurram tribal district.

Earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a briefing that Pakistan and Afghanistan overcome impact of the Covid-19 and restored their trade and people to people exchange."As neighbour and friend to both countries, off course China wants to see better relations between the two and economic growth of the two," Hua stated.

He added, “We will like to play a constructive role in this regard.”

“China supports the extension of CPEC to Afghanistan, which will bring more Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) benefits to the Afghan people. China is also pleased to see the Gwadar port, among other CPEC projects, plays a positive role in this process and stands ready to work together with Pakistan and Afghanistan in this regard,” the Chinese official remarked.

The economic cooperation between Pakistan, Afghanistan and China on the BRI Initiative would provide economic benefit to the three countries.

Regional powers eye the CPEC project as a game changer in South Asia as the mega scheme is worth 60 billion dollars that aims to connect Xinjiang region of China to Gwadar port.

In October 2016, Afghanistan expressed desire to join the CPEC. In a bid to become part of the project, former Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal stated that a development project at such a huge scale would be beneficial for Afghanistan.

On the other hand, Pakistan desires to gain access to Central Asia through Afghanistan and gain economic relief by returning Afghan refugees to their country.

https://www.brecorder.com/news/40005826/china-says-it-supports-extension-of-cpec-to-afghanistan

 

[JaDed]

Afghanistan should take up CPEC, reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" right now and had to go and check every detail and sounds like a disastrous past, the only way Afghanistan can come out of these issues is if it gets globalized.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

Afghanistan should take up CPEC, reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" right now and had to go and check every detail and sounds like a disastrous past, the only way Afghanistan can come out of these issues is if it gets globalized.

CPEC will be economically beneficial to the whole forsaken region.

This is the difference between western nations (the EU) and the 3rd world countries like ours.

Meanwhile they are achieving universal social security and healthcare. We are fighting for frozen mountains and valleys chanting our pathetic political/national slogans

Sad reality.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

CPEC will be economically beneficial to the whole forsaken region.

This is the difference between western nations (the EU) and the 3rd world countries like ours.

Meanwhile they are achieving universal social security and healthcare. We are fighting for frozen mountains and valleys chanting our pathetic political/national slogans

Sad reality.

It took them two World Wars to decide to make peace with each other. Before that they were fighting for thousands of years.

 

[gani999]

Afghanistan is an unstable, war torn country, and will most likely remain that way unless it gets a strong central government. China is not stupid to pump in a massive investment in an unstable country, particularly in infrastructure. All it takes is one silly, disgruntled warlord to create havoc and shut down operations. China cannot risk this.

There won't be any CPEC in Afghanistan, India or not.

 

[last_knight]

Afghanistan should take up CPEC, reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" right now and had to go and check every detail and sounds like a disastrous past, the only way Afghanistan can come out of these issues is if it gets globalized.

But President Ghani trying to be "The Kite Runner" )

 

[Mamoon]

CPEC is a dead horse anyway. It has become a tool for the military to exert greater pressure on the government.

 

[last_knight]

CPEC is a dead horse anyway. It has become a tool for the military to exert greater pressure on the government.

Time to look beyond domestics. World order is moving towards Asian Block vs USA+ EU Block.

 

[JaDed]

Time to look beyond domestics. World order is moving towards Asian Block vs USA+ EU Block.

It's not.. USA-Canada-Aus-EU/UK are still one block, only anomaly is Germany which is wary of USA,UK,China.

Asian block is who? China and some countries of south Asia? Even Russia sides when China only when its vs the Western block not otherwise.

Japan and China have issues as well, if you read.

Japan reveals 87 companies eligible for 'China exit' subsidies
Hoya heads to Vietnam and Laos, while Sumitomo Rubber moves to Malaysia

https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Japan-reveals-87-companies-eligible-for-China-exit-subsidies

 

[ahmedzee]

CPEC is a dead horse anyway. It has become a tool for the military to exert greater pressure on the government.

China's Belt and road initiative and their manufacturing is the reason why the world economy is still moving right now post March 2020.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Time to look beyond domestics. World order is moving towards Asian Block vs USA+ EU Block.

Who is this Asia block?

 

[last_knight]

Who is this Asia block?

Work in progress.