Afghanistan opens Wakhan Corridor road linking it to China
23:02, 04/10/2026, SundayU: Update: 23:26, 04/10/2026, Sunday
AA
AA
File photoAfghanistan has inaugurated a 121-kilometer road through the Wakhan Corridor linking the country to China, with Minister Abdul Latif Mansour highlighting the project's strategic importance and noting that Afghan engineers completed the $5.5 million project without foreign assistance.
Afghanistan on Sunday officially opened a 121-kilometer unpaved road connecting the country to China through the Wakhan Corridor, a strategic infrastructure project in northeastern Badakhshan province completed entirely by Afghan engineers. The inauguration ceremony took place as Kabul continues to pursue development initiatives despite international isolation, with officials emphasizing the route's potential to facilitate trade with Beijing.
Project specifications
Construction of the road began two years ago and cost 365 million afghanis ($5.5 million) to complete, according to Tolo News. The unpaved route stretches through the narrow Wakhan Corridor — a strip of Afghan territory separating Tajikistan from Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region — and terminates at the Chinese border in Xinjiang.
Domestic capability
Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development Abdul Latif Mansour highlighted the road's strategic, political and economic significance during Sunday's ceremony. Mansour said Kabul has prioritized such public projects in provinces most in need, adding: "There are no foreign engineers or advisers; all the engineers are Afghans." The project demonstrates Afghanistan's capacity to execute major infrastructure initiatives independently since the Taliban's return to power in 2021.