China Claims Progress in Pakistan-Afghanistan Peace Talks

RunWithRugs · 2026-04-06T04:23:22+00:00

China is mediating talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Urumqi to address escalating border violence. Both nations are open to dialogue, marking a significant step in resolving their ongoing conflict.

RunWithRugs

2026-04-06 04:23:22

Abstract generation in progress

(MENAFN) China declared Friday that diplomatic negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan are gaining traction, as Beijing plays a rare and assertive mediating role between two neighbors still reeling from weeks of deadly border confrontations.

The three-way talks are unfolding in the northwestern Chinese city of Urumqi, with Beijing positioning itself as the critical bridge between Islamabad and Kabul following an escalating cycle of cross-border violence.

“The consultation process is being implemented and advanced steadily. The three sides have had common understandings and agreements on specific matters regarding the process,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a news conference in Beijing.

Mao outlined Beijing’s deepening involvement since hostilities intensified, stating that China had pursued mediation “its own way, maintained close communication with both sides via multiple channels and at multiple levels, and created conditions and provided platforms for dialogue between the two sides.”

On the prospects for continued engagement, Mao offered an encouraging assessment, noting that both Islamabad and Kabul “value and welcome China’s mediation and are willing to sit down and talk again. This is good.”

The current crisis traces back to late February, when Pakistan launched airstrikes inside Afghan territory in retaliation for a string of lethal attacks carried out by militants aligned with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — a group Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring and refusing to act against. Kabul has consistently rejected those allegations, denying that TTP operatives exploit Afghan soil to strike across the border.

Officials from both governments confirm that dozens of civilians, soldiers, and militants have perished on either side of the frontier. A fragile week-long ceasefire brokered at the urging of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar took hold on March 18, coinciding with the eve of Eid al-Fitr.

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