The Wakhan Corridor is a mountainous region in the northeast of Afghanistan that plays an important role in the geostrategy of the region. Wakhan is important for China, Pakistan and Afghanistan for various reasons, including its unique location and natural features.

The importance of Wakhan for Afghanistan

The Wakhan Corridor is a strategic area that plays an important role in controlling military and trade routes. Access to the corridor helps the military power and trade system. Afghanistan is connected to China only through the Wakhan route. China is currently one of the world’s great powers in the economic sector. Afghanistan’s neighborhood with that country is influential in the development of Afghanistan’s trade and economy.

The establishment of communication and commercial infrastructure in this region will help in the economic development of Afghanistan, especially in the northeastern regions. In the past, the Silk Road was also connected to China through the Wakhan Corridor.

Due to its location on the border of China and Pakistan, this corridor can be a safe route for extremist groups, rebels and smugglers. Access to Wakhan is a must for Afghanistan in order to prevent the presence of these groups and their activities.

The importance of Wakhan for China

The Wakhan Corridor provides the basis for China’s access to Central Asian countries. China is an export country and needs the market of Central Asian countries for its commercial goods.

In addition, Wakhan is located in the neighborhood of China’s “Xinjiang” province in terms of geographical location. The presence of extremist groups in this region is unacceptable for Beijing. China does not lose control of this region by using its penetration tools.

On the other hand, China seeks to expand the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI), which the Wakhan Corridor provides the basis for this initiative. The Wakhan Corridor is a good area for China to expand its economic partnership with neighboring countries in this region.

The importance of Wakhan for Pakistan

Pakistan’s rivalry with India has forced Pakistan to increase its influence on Afghanistan and Central Asian countries. Due to the sensitive geography of Wakhan, this region provides a favorable environment for Pakistan to reach the trade markets of Central Asian countries.

Pakistan is also trying to strengthen its relationship with China through joint economic and trade projects. Therefore, any kind of access of Pakistan to this region will affect the economic development of this country.

Due to its rivalry with India, Pakistan is worried about the presence of insurgent groups from Afghanistan, especially in the Wakhan region.

Besides this, the Wakhan Corridor reduces the distance between Pakistan and Central Asian countries to 13km and is one of the important transit passages for Pakistan.

Central Asian republics with oil and gas resources have attracted Pakistan’s attention. On the other hand, Pakistani officials also believe that the Wakhan Corridor, along with access to the resources of Central Asian countries, provides work for thousands of citizens of that country.

Pakistani officials also believe that the increase in trade through the Wakhan Corridor to Gwadar port will increase the relations between Pakistan, China and especially the countries of Central Asia.

Considering the importance of the Wakhan Corridor for Pakistan, will the Taliban trade this area with Pakistan?

Pakistan has been eyeing the Wakhan region for a long time. Pakistan’s plans against Afghanistan have been hostile and focused on that country’s interests. Therefore, it has always supported rebel and extremist groups to secure its interests.

Pakistan, which cooperated with the US in overthrowing the Taliban regime, behind the scenes provided a safe haven to the Taliban leaders so that it could use them at the right time.

After many years of presence in Afghanistan, the US had finally decided to withdraw its soldiers from Afghanistan. This American decision was a green light for Pakistan to expand its support to the Taliban in order to provide the ground for direct negotiations between the Taliban and the United States.

On the back of all this support, Pakistan also achieved its goals in addition to being paid by America. One of Pakistan’s goals is instability in Afghanistan and the establishment of a system aligned with the interests of that country. The Taliban, who owe Pakistan’s support, have been ready for any kind of access by this country to Afghanistan, except for some of their figures.

Although reliable sources are not available in this case, it is widely believed that the Taliban have promised to provide the Wakhan Corridor to Pakistan. Although after the Taliban came to power, Pakistan has started building military bases on the Wakhan route, but due to several reasons, this will be done gradually.

Here are some points

First

Differences between the members of the Taliban leadership (Kabul and Kandahar): Those Taliban leaders who are present in Kabul played a key role in the negotiations with the US and have also made promises to the parties involved.

Undoubtedly, these promises were made with lasting consultations of Pakistan. It is possible that Pakistan took the Wakhan Corridor from the Taliban in return for those promises. But it is the leader of the Taliban and a group of traditional Taliban from Kandahar who make the main decisions within the Taliban, not those who played a role in the negotiations with America.

The Kandahar group turned its back on all the things that the Taliban members had promised during the negotiations with the Americans and insisted on implementing the predetermined policy. This may be one of the reasons why Pakistan does not have full access to the Wakhan Corridor.

Second

Being judged: During the war with America, the Taliban have motivated their forces to liberate the country from occupation. Therefore, if the Taliban officially and continuously hand over the Wakhan Corridor, they may face opposition from their own people. Therefore, the Taliban use caution in this regard.

Third

Guarantee for survival in power: The Taliban want the survival of their regime from Pakistan in exchange for handing over the Wakhan Corridor. According to the experience of 2001, the Taliban know that if they give in to Pakistan’s demand without guarantees, Pakistan may cooperate in dismantling their regime.

Fourth

The judgment of history: It is too late and the Taliban have been judged by history. There are narrations that Pakistan asked the Taliban in the previous round to recognize the Durand Line as an official border, but Mullah Mohammad Omar, the leader of the Taliban at that time, had rejected this request of Pakistan. This is another challenge that has prevented the Taliban from taking action.

On the other hand, forced deportation of immigrants, carrying out military attacks on the border points of Afghanistan, spreading differences between the leadership members of this group and inciting them against each other, hosting Taliban opponents and expressing various opinions and holding regional conferences such as the meeting of Islamic countries in Pakistan can be considered as levers of pressure on some Taliban leaders who are not aligned with the interests of Pakistan.

But sometimes these positions of Pakistan are to change the public opinion so that it can cover the progress of that country in the Wakhan region and put the Taliban in opposition to that country. As John Achakzai, the former Minister of Information of Balochistan province of Pakistan, warned Afghanistan on March 20 on his X page: “If the attacks against Pakistani troops from Afghanistan continue, Pakistan will immediately attack Afghanistan and seize the Wakhan Corridor.” His statements indicate that Pakistani soldiers are present in some areas of Wakhan.

Finally, the Wakhan Corridor is a strategic area that connects several countries. This corridor is actually a part of the geography of Afghanistan, but it is also very important for Pakistan and China.

Pakistan has tried hard to access the corridor and has achieved some success – but officially, no document, at least so far, has been published in the media to confirm the transfer of that region to Pakistan.

But Pakistani forces are building military bases. Of course, Pakistan, China and Central Asian countries are aligned and agree with this goal. Sooner or later, the Taliban will give in to Pakistan’s demand. For the Taliban, handing over and keeping Wakhan will be a choice between survival and the overthrow of this group.

China experienced robust export growth in December as businesses expedited orders in anticipation of higher tariffs expected to be imposed after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office next week.

According to data released by the country’s customs office on Monday, total overseas shipments expanded for the ninth consecutive month, rising 10.7% year-on-year in dollar terms. This growth rate exceeded November’s 6.7% increase and surpassed the 7.3% forecast in a Reuters poll of economists.

Exports to the U.S. increased by 15.6% year-on-year, reaching their highest level since September 2022. Similarly, exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc surged 18.9% to a record high, indicating that Chinese exporters might be rerouting U.S.-bound goods through third countries to evade tariffs.

The growth in outbound shipments spanned diverse products, including high-tech goods such as computing equipment and integrated circuits, as well as garments and textiles. Exports of steel, automobiles, and household appliances also saw a year-on-year increase of more than 10%.

December saw dollar-denominated imports rise by 1.0% year-on-year, reversing the decline recorded in the first two months of the quarter. This figure exceeded the 1.5% decline anticipated by Reuters. Consequently, China’s trade surplus expanded to $104.8 billion, up from $97.44 billion in November.

High-tech products led the import growth, climbing 12.8% from December 2023. This increase was likely driven by Chinese firms stockpiling advanced chips and electronic materials from U.S. suppliers amid concerns about potential trade restrictions under the Trump administration.

For the full year 2024, exports rose 5.9% to $3.58 trillion, while imports increased by 1.1% to $2.59 trillion, resulting in a record trade surplus of $992 billion.

At a press conference, Wang Lingjun, Vice Minister of the General Administration of Customs, addressed concerns about the widening export-import gap and potential trade protectionism. “Some countries abuse export controls and restrict exports to China. We want to import more, but you don’t allow it, and then you are overly concerned about the trade surplus. This is a contradiction in itself,” he remarked.

Looking ahead, Lv Daliang, a spokesman for the customs office, expressed optimism about import growth in 2025, citing “ample room for growth.” Despite external challenges, Lv remained confident in the resilience and vitality of China’s exports.

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers reported a 19.3% increase in vehicle exports for 2024. Internal combustion engine vehicles constituted 78% of shipments, while new energy vehicles (NEVs), which include electric and hybrid models, made up the remainder. NEV exports grew 6.7%, lagging behind the 23.5% growth for conventional vehicles. This discrepancy partly reflects new restrictions on Chinese electric vehicles imposed by certain governments.

Zichun Huang, China economist at Capital Economics, warned that overall exports might weaken in 2025 if Trump’s tariff threats materialize. However, Huang noted that import volumes could recover in the short term as increased fiscal spending boosts demand for industrial commodities.

American importers have accelerated their purchases of Chinese goods in recent months, preparing for potential trade barriers. Trump, who previously pledged to impose tariffs of up to 60% on Chinese imports during his campaign, announced plans to implement an additional 10% tariff on his first day in office.

Strong exports remain a bright spot for China’s economy, which continues to struggle with a property market crisis and deflationary pressures. The country’s consumer inflation rate fell to a nine-month low in December. Beijing began implementing stimulus measures in September to counteract the economic downturn, with their effects expected to unfold in the coming months.

China is set to release its fourth-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) statistics on Friday.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), hosted by Pakistan, has held a meeting titled “Education of Girls in Islamic Societies” for the two days in Islamabad. This meeting has brought different reactions due to the non-participation of the Taliban, even though they were invited.

Some former diplomats believe that Pakistan, considering its influence in this organization, is trying to use such meetings to put pressure on the Taliban and fulfill its demands. On the other hand, some human and women’s rights activists say that the Taliban have refused to participate in this meeting because they have no reason to defend their actions.

Malala Yousafzai, one of the speakers of this meeting, asked the participants to recognize the gender apartheid of the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Union of Scholars of the Islamic World have emphasized in their statements that education for girls and boys is equally necessary and the conditions of education for girls in Islamic societies should be provided.

Pakistan has announced that the Taliban was invited to the meeting, but no representative attended the meeting. This meeting has provoked many reactions due to the discussion of Islamic countries about the education of girls, especially in the situation where the Taliban have banned the education of girls across Afghanistan.

Diplomats and political activists link the holding of this meeting by Pakistan and the absence of the Taliban to the recent tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban regime in Kabul. Zalamy Khalilzad, US former peace envoy for Afghanistan, also believes that Pakistan intends to embarrass the Taliban with this action.

Pakistan has a strong influence on OIC, likely the Taliban refused to participate.

Mohammad Ibrahim Ghafouri, the former representative of Afghanistan in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, had said recently that Pakistan has a strong influence in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and in this way wants to pressure the Taliban to comply with the demands of Islamabad.

According to him, most of the positions in the announcements and resolutions of this organization go back to the host countries. He emphasizes that after the escalation of tensions with the Taliban, Pakistan hosted the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to put pressure on this group and to show that Islamabad has a special position and influence in international organizations and Islamic countries.

The former representative of Afghanistan in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation adds that this organization is traditionally aligned with Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan also has a prominent role in this organization due to the support of Arab countries.

According to him, in this meeting, only Iran may defend the Taliban’s position on girls’ education, and other countries will react to the Taliban from Islamabad’s position. He also states that most of the decisions of these meetings are advisory and not mandatory.

In a tweet in X, Zalmi Khalilzad said that Pakistan should shame the Taliban leader who has imposed severe restrictions on women’s education by holding a meeting on the education of girls in Islamic societies. He also considered this meeting as a propaganda move in the framework of the recent tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan.

The Afghan women and girls say that Taliban ashamed to join OIC due to their anti-women actions and restrictions 

However, a number of women and girls say that the Taliban could not participate in this meeting due to shame and lack of reason to continue their restrictions. According to them, not only Pakistan but any other Islamic country that hosts such a meeting, this group has nothing to say and no reason to defend its “misogynist” and “gender apartheid” practices.

Mohammad Al-Issa, the Secretary General of the Muslim World League and President of the International Islamic Scholars Organization condemned the denial of education to girls as both unjust and contradictory to Islamic teachings.

An Afghan girl who doesn’t want to be named due to security reasons, said that the Taliban have done everything in their power to suppress and eliminate women under various guises for the past three years.

According to him, the Taliban know that they cannot defend their “misogynist” and gender “apartheid” practices against women in Afghanistan, even in Islamic organizations. Therefore, they prefer to remain silent because they have nothing to say and no reason to defend their actions.

Also, some human rights activists say that the message of the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Pakistan is intellectual disarmament and the rejection of the Taliban’s “Sharia fatwa” on the education of girls and women. According to them, this meeting has clearly described the performance of the Taliban in conflict with religious values.”

Shima Azizi, a human rights activist had recently said that the Taliban’s focus is to show that they have all the religious fatwas in their possession. According to her, the Taliban try to legitimize all their policies by referring to “Sharia” rulings and religious fatwas, and therefore, they have banned the education of women in Afghanistan by citing their “Sharia” fatwas.

She furthered that the participants of the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation called the prohibition of education and training of women a “great sin” citing Sharia rules. She says that the message of this meeting is to claim the monopoly of “Sharia” Fatwa from the Taliban.

She emphasized that if Taliban representatives participated in this meeting, the impact of the conference’s message in disarming this group’s intellectual weapons would increase. According to him, the presence of the Taliban in such a meeting meant their direct participation in the process of disarming themselves from the claim of issuing “Sharia” fatwas.

Malala Yousafiza, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, called on Islamic world to identify the Taliban regime as the cause of “gender apartheid.”

On the other hand, Malala Yousafzai, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, in her speech at this meeting, asked Islamic countries to identify the Taliban regime as the cause of gender apartheid.

He said that the Taliban cover their actions against women and girls with cultural and religious justifications. Referring to the Taliban’s decrees against women, Yousafzai asked the leaders of Islamic countries not to give legitimacy to the Taliban.

The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize has expressed his concern about the situation of women, and emphasized that the Taliban are destroying a whole generation of girls by implementing their anti-women policies. She asked Muslim scholars and leaders to prevent the systematic elimination of women and girls in Afghanistan.

Yousafzai said: “The mission of the Taliban is clear. They want to remove women and girls from every aspect of public life and erase them from society. The Taliban have created a system of gender apartheid.”

Hossein Ebrahim Taha, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, said that this organization is committed to guaranteeing and promoting the education of girls in Islamic societies. He added that the Islamabad meeting under the title “Education of Girls in Islamic Societies: Challenges and Opportunities” was jointly organized by Pakistan and the World Muslim League.

The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation said that educated women are a valuable asset for Muslim societies and their participation in development pursuits is very important. He added that the decisions and resolutions of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation at the summit level as well as the ministerial meetings unanimously and without any ambiguity emphasized the importance of girls’ education and prioritized the formulation of sustainable policies and the allocation of sufficient funds.

Education in Islam, is the right of both (men and women)

At the same time, Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Eisa, Secretary General of the Islamic World Union, said on the first day of the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on girls’ education, that some groups are hindering the education of girls by misusing the name of Islam.

According to him, such actions have no place in Islam, and efforts will be made to reject the considerations that hinder the education of girls in the name of Islam. He added that there are misconceptions in some Islamic societies, but Islamic scholars have gathered in this meeting to reject these beliefs and issue a joint statement.

He also stated that this statement emphasizes the necessity of women’s education for the progress of society and all scholars and Islamic schools agree on this. Moreover, the scholars of different religions agreed in this meeting that education is as necessary for women as for men.

Currently, Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls and women are denied the right to education, study and work.

In the past three years, the Taliban have issued more than 80 prohibition orders against women and girls, which have excluded them from many aspects of social, cultural and economic life. Despite internal and external pressures, this group continues to impose restrictions and intensify the suppression of women’s demands.