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Taliban Opens Wakhan Corridor Connecting China Directly and Sidelines Pakistan
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News18•05-10-2026, 13:55
Taliban Opens Wakhan Corridor Connecting China Directly and Sidelines Pakistan
- •The Taliban officially inaugurated the 121-kilometer-long Wakhan Road in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province, creating direct land connectivity with China.
- •Built at a cost of 365 million Afghanis, the corridor bypasses Pakistan and reduces Afghanistan's heavy reliance on Pakistani trade routes.
- •For China, the corridor offers an alternative route from Xinjiang, reducing dependence on the delayed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
- •The development limits Pakistan's geopolitical leverage, ending its ability to use border closures to pressure Afghanistan.
- •India could benefit indirectly as regional geopolitical balances shift, opening new alternatives in regional trade and economic stability.
Key Questions Answered
The Wakhan Road is a 121-kilometer-long road in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province extending to China's border zero point, built in two phases at a total cost of 365 million Afghanis (around $5.5 million).
The opening of the Wakhan Road gives Afghanistan direct land connectivity with China, diminishing Pakistan's leverage as the primary transit route and making its strategy of leveraging border closures much less effective.
It could prove indirectly positive for India by restricting Pakistan's access and influence in Central Asia, shifting regional geopolitical balance, and opening alternative regional trade networks that align with India's interests.
