The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has announced plans to complete a road through the Wakhan Corridor that will directly connect the country to China by the end of 2025.
In a statement released Tuesday, the Afghan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development reaffirmed its goal of completing the road project within the year, stating the 120-kilometer Wakhan road project’s gravel work for phases one and two is expected to be completed by the end of the solar year”.
Ministry spokesman Noorulhadi Adel also stated that “work is progressing smoothly and regularly.”
Although Afghanistan has shared a border with China since the late 19th century, no road has ever connected the two countries due to the treacherous terrain of the Wakhan Corridor—an isolated region characterized by rugged mountains, high altitudes, and extreme weather.
China’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, Zhao Xing, has previously said that once the road becomes operational, Beijing will begin direct trade with Afghanistan. Such a move could significantly reduce Afghanistan’s reliance on neighboring countries for the transport of goods.
Currently, Chinese exports to Afghanistan must pass through either Pakistan or Central Asia, a process that can take up to 20 days. A direct route through the Wakhan would dramatically shorten transit times and could also lay the groundwork for more efficient trade routes linking China and Iran.
The Afghan government has publicly stated its ambition to serve as a commercial hub through which Iranian oil could flow to China, and Chinese goods to Iran, which they argue would provide a major economic boost to Afghanistan.
In addition to the road project, Kabul and Beijing are in discussions about constructing a parallel railway line through the Wakhan. China has reportedly proposed a rail corridor that would expand direct trade links and eventually connect with Iranian infrastructure.
In a related development, China recently announced an expansion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghanistan—marking the first concrete step toward establishing a direct overland trade route between China and Afghanistan.