On January 23, 2024, I received a letter from Ajim from the Ishkasim Tourism Bureau in Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan. He couldn't help but feel the joy in his heart and forwarded me a news article from January 16, 2024:

The Taliban Governor General of Badakh Mountain stated that the construction of the Pamir Hokkek Highway from Badakh Mountain to the Chinese border has been completed, and Afghanistan is officially connected to China through the province. Mohammad Ayub Khalid added that efforts are being made to start laying asphalt on this road in the near future.

This reminds me of a PhD supervisor who asked me a few days ago about the construction of a new road in Pamir, and an editor from the Planetary Knowledge Bureau asked me to help take a look at their newly compiled map of Wahan. Actually, I didn't pay much attention to these two times. I thought it was just someone trying to take advantage of the heat. It wasn't until I received a letter from Ajim on Wednesday that I specifically inquired with the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan, including Mr. Li from Chinatown in Kabul, that I learned the true source and good intentions of this news.

Originally, the Taliban government's Ministry of Rural Revitalization and Development publicly announced at the beginning of this year that there are still the last 10 kilometers of roads connecting Wahan and China to reach South Waagenkidaban, China. Mohammad Yunus Ahongzada, the acting minister of the Ministry of Rural Revitalization and Development, stated that Afghanistan is expected to connect with China in the first two months of this year. However, the Chinese authorities have not made any statements regarding this news. But I clearly feel that there is a force behind it, as Li, an old man from Kabul's Chinatown, said: "The so-called risk (normalization of relations with Afghanistan) is a devil in the heart. The Afghanistan issue may no longer be a problem of risk, but a problem of mentality, methods, and strategic decision-making. China is a great country with thousands of years of civilization history, and we should have our own confidence, position, and proposition. What we bring to Afghanistan, and even Central Asia, West Asia, and South Asia, is trade and friendship, which has been welcomed by the Afghan people since ancient times. What those imperialists brought to Afghanistan in the past was war, aggression, and it was destined to fail. History has been proven countless times, so we should be good at ourselves." Never dance with the magic flute

But I don't know what kind of global overview and planning it is at the national level, facing the international, especially Central Asia and South Asia's entire geopolitical landscape. Anyway, the propaganda and work strategy adopted by the Taliban government in Afghanistan this time, which is "proactive and forced," has caused a great response domestically and is also a completely correct choice. "The Afghan political and business circles have given great enthusiasm to the opening of the Wahan Corridor, and have built roads on the Afghan side. Although the quality of these roads is far from each other according to China's road building standards, their eagerness can be imagined. Opening this historical channel has great potential for the future trade of the the Belt and Road. The past security concerns have also changed qualitatively with the change of the situation, the necessary conditions have been greatly guaranteed, there are no technical problems, and the rest is China's awareness and determination at the decision-making level.

Personally speaking, since June last year when I returned to my home country from the provinces of Lesser Pamir, Wahan, and Badakhshan in Afghanistan, I have been actively promoting the development of bilateral relations in a positive direction with my humble efforts, eliminating misunderstandings, deepening understanding, and enhancing mutual trust! May China and Afghanistan work together to build the the Belt and Road and bring happiness to the people!Editor/XingWentao