Hydropower dam (Photo : image)
China said it will help build a hydroelectric power plant in Afghanistan, as well as road and rail links to Pakistan.
"China agreed to support relevant initiatives for projects including the Kunar hydropower plant and strengthening road and rail connections between Afghanistan and Pakistan," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.
The planned 1,500 megawatt dam on the Kunar River was previously supported only by Pakistan. In 2013, Pakistan said it would also build a motorway connecting the Pakistani city of Peshawar to Kabul, as well as a railway line from Chaman, on the Pakistani side of Afghanistan's southeastern border, to the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.
Kunar is one of Afghanistan's most active battlefields and is marked by deep valleys and forests. It's located near the Pakistani border and provides cover for different factions of the Taliban.
China's involvement could speed up work on these projects, but the amount of Chinese financing for the dam and other projects will be decided in later trilateral meetings, said Afghan spokesman Sirajul Hag Siraj.
At the meeting in Beijing, Chinese and Afghan diplomats also discussed ways to bring Taliban militants to the negotiating table following a Chinese proposal late last year for a "peace and reconciliation" forum.
The three sides resolved to make concerted efforts to maintaining peace and stability in Afghanistan, Pakistan said in a statement.
