China courts Taliban, Pakistan left empty-handed as CPEC takes centre stage: What happened at Kabul Trilateral?

This handout photograph taken on August 20, 2025 and released by Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi (R) welcoming China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi before their meeting in Kabul. (Photo by Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFP)

In what exposes the fragile underpinnings of the so-called “iron brotherhood,” the Sixth Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue in Kabul on August 20, 2025, revealed sharp differences between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, with China attempting to play mediator largely to safeguard its own economic ambitions.

According to exclusive information accessed by CNN-News18, the Taliban flatly told Beijing and Islamabad that it would not launch a “full-fledged action” against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Taliban leaders bluntly conveyed that the TTP is Pakistan’s internal issue, suggesting instead that Islamabad negotiate with the group. The message to Pakistan was clear: stop demanding military solutions and accept dialogue.

The report quoted top sources saying that Pakistan had pushed hard at the summit, demanding “strong action” not only against the TTP but also against the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Islamabad went as far as accusing the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the two outfits. Kabul categorically denied this, saying the TTP was “not under their control,” though it did promise to act against BLA hideouts and infiltration attempts from Afghan soil.

Taliban turns Pakistan away, but Beijing finds common cause in BLA

While the Taliban snubbed Islamabad over the TTP, the BLA emerged as the real point of convergence between the three sides. CNN-News18 quoted sources saying that China and Pakistan portrayed the BLA as a “shared threat” -- primarily because of its attacks on Chinese workers, civilians, and CPEC infrastructure inside Pakistan.

Unlike the TTP, which focuses on Pakistan’s military and security forces, the BLA’s operations directly undermine Beijing’s investments in Balochistan. Not surprisingly, China leaned heavily on Afghanistan to “do more” against Baloch insurgents, turning the trilateral into yet another platform to protect Beijing’s financial interests rather than address genuine regional grievances.

China’s real agenda: CPEC, minerals and access to central Asia

Beijing chaired the talks and, according to insiders, made its priorities unmistakable. The Chinese delegation reportedly pressed for expanding CPEC into Afghanistan, creating transit corridors through Kandahar and Kabul, and securing easier access to Central Asia.

At the same time, Beijing signalled its eagerness to sink deeper into Afghanistan’s vast mineral reserves --an agenda couched under the promise of “joint development.” By pushing Afghanistan to join the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China is essentially trying to lock the Taliban regime into its strategic orbit while simultaneously tightening Pakistan’s dependence.

Officials familiar with the meeting said China even dangled Belt and Road investment as a carrot to smooth over growing friction between Islamabad and Kabul, underlining Beijing’s role as “Big Brother” in the region.

Afghanistan seeks legitimacy, Pakistan loses ground

Afghanistan used the summit to urge China and Pakistan to support its “legitimate position” at international forums and to expand cooperation in trade, security, and diplomacy. Kabul’s assertiveness, and its refusal to yield on the TTP, highlights just how little leverage Pakistan now wields over the Taliban it once nurtured.

For Islamabad, the summit was another reminder that its demands carry little weight in Kabul, while its security vulnerabilities -- from the TTP in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to BLA in Balochistan -- are increasingly seen through the prism of China’s investments, not Pakistan’s sovereignty.