Aarish U. Khan
Looking at Afghanistan’s map, one observes a narrow strip of land protruding northeastward out of its northern part. Called the Wakhan Corridor, it is a colonial construct to keep the borders of the Indian subcontinent, then under the British empire, and the Russian Empire from intersecting. Today, the 350-kilometer long and 16-to-64-km wide Wakhan Corridor separates Pakistan and Tajikistan and ends at a short 92 km border with China’s expansive Xinjiang province.
This small strip of land is sparsely populated by around 10,000 people, but its strategic significance can be gauged from the fact that NATO built a military camp in the area during its presence in Afghanistan but never manned it to avoid geopolitical escalation with China. The Chinese also operated joint patrols with Afghan troops in the area in 2018 and initiated talks with the Afghan officials for constructing a military base in the region. China is believed to be operating a secret military facility in the isolated Tajik town of Shaymak, 30 km from its border into Tajikistan and around 14 km from the Tajik-Afghan border to monitor activity in this crucial border region.
Besides its strategic significance, the Wakhan Corridor is now widely seen in Afghanistan as a possible direct trade conduit with China. Currently, there is no trade link on their small shared border; Afghanistan’s trade with China is instead routed through third countries, like Pakistan.
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