Photo: Crimefighter123 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Taliban Completes Unpaved Route to Frontier
Afghanistan's Taliban-led administration celebrated the completion of a road through the remote Wakhan Corridor on October 4. Built by the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development for 365 million afghanis ($5.5 million), the gravel track leads to the Wakhjir Pass at an altitude of nearly 4,900 meters on the Chinese border. However, the route currently terminates at a closed frontier, with no Chinese customs facilities or immediate plans from Beijing to open commercial traffic.
China Prioritizes Border Security
While Kabul views the Wakhan Corridor as a strategic trade outlet, Beijing treats the high-altitude pass primarily as a security concern. Key Chinese priorities include:
- Preventing militant infiltration into the Xinjiang region.
- Countering threats from the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.
- Protecting its regional investments, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
During an August 2025 visit to Kabul, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and expressed support for resuming joint border patrols while urging Afghan authorities to counter separatist groups. An Afghan government source noted that Beijing requires effective security guarantees before considering opening the border.
Decades of Delayed Infrastructure Plans
Discussions regarding a road through the Wakhan Corridor began in June 2009, but initial efforts stalled due to harsh terrain and security issues. Construction officially started in 2019 under the former Afghan government, completing 60 kilometers before halting during the August 2021 political transition, according to former Afghan ambassador to China Javid Qaem. Former acting defense minister Shah Mahmoud Miakhel noted that foreign military presence previously hindered execution.
The Taliban resumed work in September 2023 without financial assistance from China. Authorities announced the road reached the border in January 2024, and signed a contract for a 71-kilometer second phase in March 2025, using domestic Afghan funds.
Efforts to Reduce Reliance on Neighbors
Afghan officials aim to use the route to bypass traditional trade corridors through Pakistan and Iran. Mohammad Ismail Ghaznawi, deputy minister of public works for road maintenance, stated the project intends to diversify trade connections amid border clashes with Pakistan and regional instability affecting Iranian routes. Kabul hopes to eventually develop rail links and connect with China's Belt and Road Initiative.
Former Afghan ambassador to Iran Abdul Ghafoor Liwal highlighted that Iran also views the corridor as a potential strategic overland link to China. However, Beijing continues to emphasize expanding trade via Pakistan rather than relying on the snow-prone Wakhjir Pass, which remains impassable for at least five months each year.
Security Challenges in Badakhshan
The road project faces ongoing instability in Badakhshan province. The region experienced rare protests over poppy eradication campaigns in May 2024. Additionally, the opposition National Resistance Front claimed an attack that killed the deputy head of Taliban intelligence in Faizabad shortly after the road opening ceremony took place.
Source: Afghanistan’s new road to China ends at a closed border