lørdag 10. oktober 2026

Afghan road to China tests Pakistan’s power and leverage

China is increasingly trying to diversify its connections to the region as Pakistan’s actions in Afghanistan create new security and strategic problems for Beijing. The opening of a road through the Wakhan Corridor is an important step in that effort.

Afghanistan has formally inaugurated a 121-kilometer road through the corridor, running from Broghil to the Chinese border in Badakhshan Province. The road cost about 365 million afghani, roughly US$5.5 million, and was built by Afghan engineers without foreign engineers or advisers. It gives Afghanistan a physical link to China and gives Beijing a possible alternative route into Afghanistan and the wider region.