IEA delegation to travel to China for Belt and Road meeting

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry says an Islamic Emirate delegation, headed by the acting minister, traveled to China on Monday to take part in the third meeting of the One Belt One Road initiative.

Abdulsalam Javad Akhundzadah, the ministry’s spokesman, said the minister, Nuruddin Azizi, will attend the meeting and hold talks with Chinese officials and business owners in a bid to get them to invest in Afghanistan.

Akhundzadah said: “An important and vital issue for Afghanistan is the issue of connecting Afghanistan directly to China through the Wakhan Corridor, and in this regard, the minister will talk with them and try to open this road to Afghanistan as soon as possible.”

The Chamber of Commerce and Investment says that the One Belt One Road initiative, also known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is very important for Afghanistan, and if Afghanistan secures this billion dollar road project, the country’s economy will grow rapidly and economic relations between the two countries will expand.

“This is a very close and short road” to China, with the potential to transport a huge amount of cargo in a short time, said Khan Jan Alokozai, a member of the chamber.

With a road connecting China and Afghanistan, “the volume of trade between Afghanistan and China could total up to $3 billion,” said Alokozai.

Experts also say that Afghanistan should try to be included in the BRI so that it can play a role in the country’s economic growth. Experts have also said the two countries need a direct railway link.