China on Friday said it will play a “constructive role” to bring Pakistan and Afghanistan on the same page as part of fresh efforts to resolve the 16-year conflict with the Taliban by hosting a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of the three countries. Unveiling the new China-driven Afghanistan policy, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that Beijing will play a “constructive role” to bring Islamabad and Kabul together. China and Pakistan have agreed that the solution to Afghan problem is fundamentally a political solution and not a military solution. The Chinese side welcomes Pakistan’s attitude of improving relations with Afghanistan, Wang said. It is planned that before the end of this year, there will be the first China, Pakistan, Afghanistan foreign ministers meeting in China, Wang said without directly referring to Trump’s more pro-active engagement in Afghanistan wherein the US president also spoke of India’s active role in rebuilding the war-ravaged country.

Source: Indian Express September 08, 2017 14:09 UTC