World · South & Central Asia · 1 hr ago
Afghanistan opens road to China, but border remains closed
Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government opened a road to the Chinese frontier on October 4.
The unpaved gravel track runs through the Wakhan Corridor in Badakhshan province, but it stops short of crossing into China.
The road was built in two phases for 365 million afghanis, or $5.5 million, according to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development.
The corridor is a remote strip of Afghan territory between Tajikistan and Pakistan, linking Afghanistan with China.
There is no official border crossing or Chinese customs facility, and snow closes the high mountain pass for at least five months each year.
The route could connect South, East and Central Asia, but China has previously raised security concerns about the corridor.
There is no indication when China might open the border to commercial traffic.
Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government opened a road through the Wakhan Corridor to the frontier with China on October 4.
The unpaved gravel track reaches the border but does not cross it, and there is no official crossing or Chinese customs facility there.
China has not indicated when it might open the border to commercial traffic.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development said the road was built in two phases for 365 million afghanis ($5.5m).
The remote corridor could become a link between South, East and Central Asia, but the border remains closed.
- Who
- Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government opened the road. China has not commented on the opening.
- What
- Afghanistan opened an unpaved road leading to the Chinese frontier. The road does not cross the border.
- When
- October 4. The article does not state the year of the opening.
- Where
- Through the Wakhan Corridor in Badakhshan province, Afghanistan, to the frontier at Wakhjir Pass.
- Why
- The road could support regional connectivity and trade, but the sources do not state a specific reason for the opening.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Afghan and Chinese officials discussed a road through the Wakhan Corridor, but the project did not advance beyond preliminary studies.
Afghanistan began building a road in Wakhan, according to former Afghan ambassador Javid Qaem.
The change of government in Afghanistan led to the road plan being postponed, Qaem told Al Jazeera.
The Taliban-led government celebrated the opening of a road leading to the Chinese frontier.
- Road cost
- 365 million afghanis ($5.5m)
- Road construction
- Built in two phases
- Corridor length
- About 350 kilometres (220 miles)
- Wakhjir Pass altitude
- Nearly 4,900 metres
- Border status
- No official crossing or Chinese customs facility at the pass
What people are saying
but the sudden change of government in Afghanistan in August 2021 led to the plan being postponed
the presence of [United States] and foreign forces and the security situation
Beijing considered those circumstances to be limiting the prospects for developing the corridor