A high-stakes Beijing meeting between China and Pakistan’s top diplomats has laid bare ambitions to encircle India’s South Asian sway through pacts with Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The January 3-5 talks, culminating in a joint statement, outline amplified diplomatic channels, economic expansions, and military sync-ups.
Wang Yi and Mohammad Ishaq Dar recommitted to tripartite China-Afghanistan-Pakistan talks and a nascent China-Bangladesh-Pakistan setup, aiming for real progress on Afghan reconstruction and terror curbs. China rebrands its role from geopolitical aggressor to mediator, advocating verifiable strikes against entrenched militants.
Kabul rejects terror presence claims, labeling Pakistan incursions as domestic matters. The communique demands an end to Afghan territory’s misuse for external aggression. Parallelly, CPEC 2.0 gets the nod, integrating BRI with conditional third-party inputs and potential Afghan extensions to counter Indian inroads.
Pakistan’s BRI projects face scrutiny over loans and sustainability, but proponents tout them as developmental lifelines. As regional mediators from Iran to Qatar step up, China’s orchestration points to a calculated axis-building effort.
This seventh dialogue isn’t mere rhetoric—it’s a blueprint for reshaping power dynamics, where India’s centrality is systematically challenged, forcing New Delhi to recalibrate its neighborhood policy amid rising encirclement risks.