The Wakhan Corridor, also known as the Afghan Corridor or the Wakhan Pamir Plateau, is bordered by Afghanistan's Badakhshan Province on one side and China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on the other.
Historically, the Sino-Han Corridor was part of the ancient Silk Road and an important channel for exchanges between Chinese civilization and Indian civilization, Central Asian civilization, Persian civilization and European civilization.
1. The importance of the Wakhan Corridor
The Wakhan Corridor, a winding natural passageway, acts as a link that firmly connects the vast lands of Afghanistan and China.
With a total length of about 400 kilometers, the Wakhan Corridor is like a poem of the earth, telling the interweaving and collision of nature and humanity.
Among them, about 100 kilometers of road passes through the territory of China, which seems to be the most brilliant chapter in this poem, showing the magnificence and vastness of the land of China.
The remaining 300 kilometers extend into Afghanistan and continue to weave this legend across time and space.
The economic situation of the Wakhan Corridor is relatively backward, and the inhabitants are mainly dependent on livestock and a small amount of agriculture for their livelihood, and the living conditions are difficult.
2. Why Afghanistan is in a hurry to open the Wakhan Corridor
The opening of the Wakhan corridor has a potentially significant impact on Afghanistan's economic development. From an economic point of view, the opening of the Wakhan Corridor will provide Afghanistan with a convenient export market, especially for the export of agricultural products and mineral resources.
This will help Afghanistan earn foreign exchange earnings and attract investment from China and other Central Asian countries.
In addition, the opening of the Wakhan Corridor will also give Afghanistan the opportunity to better integrate into the overall situation of regional economic integration of the "Belt and Road" and become a key node of connectivity.
This will not only help Afghanistan's economic recovery, but also help enhance its international status and voice.
3. Reasons for China's refusal to reopen the Wakhan Corridor
Despite its significant historical and cultural value, China has not yet agreed to reopen the Wakhan Corridor. The main reasons include:
Climatic and environmental factors, the Wakhan Corridor is located in a harsh climate, with an average altitude of more than 4,000 meters, an average annual temperature of less than 0 degrees, and an annual precipitation of less than 100 mm.
Such environmental conditions make it extremely difficult to navigate, especially in winter, when heavy snow covers the mountains and people and vehicles cannot pass normally.
Resources and infrastructure are scarce. Due to its geographical location and climatic conditions, most of the Kuwakhan Corridor is an arid and water-scarce desert area.
In addition, the region's complex geology, harsh climate, frequent earthquakes, and lack of necessary resources and infrastructure make development and maintenance very expensive.
Security issues. The region has long been affected by the activities of terrorists and extremist organizations, and the security situation is unstable.
China has temporarily closed the border crossing between China and Afghanistan due to national security concerns. The Chinese government needs to ensure that any decision to open new trade routes or border crossings does not pose a threat to national security.
The presence of existing channels. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an important economic cooperation project between China and Pakistan, which aims to strengthen economic ties between the two countries, improve Pakistan's infrastructure and economic well-being, and also provide easier trade routes for China.
China has already established the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor with Pakistan, which can serve as an effective route to Afghanistan and other South Asian countries, so there may not be a need to rush to activate the Wakhan Corridor in the short term.
Economic considerations. The opening of the Wakhan Corridor requires a lot of investment, including infrastructure construction, transportation costs, etc. And the lack of infrastructure in the region makes it unsuitable for large-scale development and construction, and the Chinese government needs to assess whether the return on these investments is worth it.
International relations. China usually adopts a cautious foreign policy in the international arena and will not easily change the existing pattern of international relations.
The opening of the Wakhan Corridor may cause concern and reaction from other countries, and China needs to take these factors into account.
China is cautious about Afghanistan's request, stressing the need for further study and assessment of the feasibility and safety of the resumption of the Wakhan Corridor.
China values its cooperative relationship with Afghanistan, but needs to be more cautious in making decisions related to national security and stability.
In summary, China's rejection of Afghanistan's proposal for the Wakhan Corridor may be motivated by a number of considerations, including security, economics, and international relations. The Chinese government needs to ensure that any decision is made in the interests and security of the country.
epilogue
Although China has rejected Afghanistan's proposal to restart the Wakhan corridor, this does not mean that there is no possibility of reopening in the future. Despite its remote location, the Wakhan Corridor has enormous economic potential.
Afghanistan has many mineral resources, among which copper, iron, lithium and other metal minerals are particularly rich, which have laid a solid material foundation for the economic development of the Wakhan Corridor region.
Today, China's rapid development of new energy vehicles requires large quantities of lithium as the main battery material, and in 2018, for example, the US Centar Minerals and Investment Group planned to develop a gold mine project in Badakhshan province.
If conditions are ripe in the future, such as improved security and improved infrastructure, China may consider restarting the Wakhan Corridor to promote regional economic development and international cooperation.
Reference Links:
Original by researcher Zhang Shuai 2024-05-08"Taliban high-level leaders take turns to come to the door, urging China to relax as soon as possible and reopen the Wakhan Corridor as soon as possible"
Hi Koopla 2024.04.27 "Afghanistan tried its best to promote the opening of the Wakhan Corridor, but China politely refused? Why is this happening? 》
Sister Gua Finance and Economics2024-05-09"Afghanistan tried its best to promote the opening of the Wakhan Corridor, but China politely refused? Why is this happening? 》