Built in two phases for 365 million afghanis ($5.5 million), the unpaved gravel road terminates at the isolated Wakhjir Pass near 4,900 meters in elevation. The Taliban resumed construction in September 2023 after decades of stalled negotiations and project interruptions caused by rugged terrain, foreign military presence, and regime changes. Beijing has maintained silence on the road's opening, providing no timeline for creating an official crossing point. The Taliban continues to seek Chinese financial backing to transform the path into a viable trade route despite persistent winter closures.
Key points
Commercial transit remains impossible until Beijing agrees to establish an official borde…: Commercial transit remains impossible until Beijing agrees to establish an official border crossing and customs facility.
Taliban officials hope the route will reduce Afghanistan's long-standing economic and tra…: Taliban officials hope the route will reduce Afghanistan's long-standing economic and trade reliance on Pakistan.
Chinese security concerns regarding Uighur fighters have historically complicated cross-b…: Chinese security concerns regarding Uighur fighters have historically complicated cross-border infrastructure initiatives between the two nations.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Taliban government hopes its Wakhan Corridor road will open new trade routes and reduce reliance on Pakistan, but Beijing remains wary.
At an altitude of nearly 4,900 metres, at the Wakhjir Pass, Afghanistan ends and China begins. Snow closes the pass for at least five months of the year, and people cross it only sporadically in the months when it is passable.
There is no official border crossing here, and yet, on October 4, Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government celebrated the opening of a road leading to the frontier – but crucially not crossing it.
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Afghanistan’s Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development said the road through the Wakhan Corridor in Badakhshan province had been built in two phases for 365 million afghanis ($5.5m).
It is a basic road – an unpaved track covered with gravel. On…
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