China is concerned about recent border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan and has called on the two countries to protect their citizens and investments in the region, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
Intense border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan began on Saturday night and continued until Sunday morning. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said 23 soldiers were martyred and 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists were killed as Islamabad responded to Kabul’s aggression.
Afghanistan claimed it carried out the attack as a “retaliation” measure, accusing Islamabad of carrying out airstrikes on its territory earlier this week. For its part, Islamabad has not confirmed whether it was behind the airstrikes, but maintains that Kabul should “stop hosting the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan on its soil.”
Responding to Islamabad’s repeated calls to ban terrorists from using its territory for cross-border attacks, Afghanistan denies the charge of allowing terrorist groups to use its soil.
China, meanwhile, shares a border with Afghanistan and Pakistan in its western region and has sought to play a mediating role to calm hostilities between the two sides.
“China is willing to continue playing a constructive role in improving and developing Pakistan-Afghanistan relations,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during a regular press briefing.
Beijing hopes Kabul and Islamabad “will remain calm and restrained, and persist in properly resolving each other’s concerns through dialogue and consultation to avoid escalating conflicts,” Lin said.
In August, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended a meeting with his Pakistani and Afghan counterparts in Kabul, calling for strengthening exchanges at all levels.
At an informal trilateral meeting weeks earlier, hosted by Beijing, China said Kabul and Islamabad had agreed to improve diplomatic relations.
