News Desk
BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their differences through dialogue rather than force, following a sharp escalation along the border.
In a phone call with his Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi, Wang called for calm and restraint, urging both sides to hold face-to-face talks as soon as possible and seek an immediate ceasefire. He warned that the further use of force would only worsen the situation and intensify tensions, according to a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry.
The remarks came in the wake of Pakistan’s airstrikes on a fuel depot near Kandahar airport during the night of March 12-13. Security sources released video footage showing military aircraft targeting oil storage facilities at the airfield. Officials said the facilities were being used by the Afghan Taliban and other terrorist groups to support their operations.
The strikes were carried out under the banner of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq. Sources said that Pakistani forces intended to continue the operation until their objectives were met, signaling a deepening of the worst conflict between the neighbors in years. Wang and Muttaqi also discussed the broader security situation in the region, including hostilities between the United States, Israel, and Iran.
The phone call underscored China’s concern over rising instability along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and in the wider region. By emphasizing negotiation and restraint, Wang sought to signal both countries that military action could have unpredictable consequences and that diplomacy remained the only viable path to peace.
