The four nations comprising the Quadrilateral Coordination Group for peace negotiations in Afghanistan have decided to push through with talks scheduled this week in spite of a deadly Taliban attack in the Afghan capital on Monday.

The Chinese foreign ministry announced on Tuesday that the governments of China, the United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan will push through with planned talks even as the Taliban continues attacks on Kabul.

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The announcement came a day after a Taliban suicide fighter detonated a bomb near a Kabul police complex, killing at least 20 police officers and wounding 29 people.

"Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the US have decided through consultation that the third meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group will be held on February 6 in Islamabad," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang when asked by the press to comment on the bombing.

Vital Elements

Friday's talks -- the group's third -- are meant to clear the way for peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban, which has strong ties with Pakistan.

The involvement of China, a close ally of Pakistan, and the US -- which supports the Afghan government -- is seen by many as a crucial element in the effort to build trust between Kabul and Islamabad.

"With the support of the United States and China, two vital members of the group, we will be able to launch an effective peace process that would generate the results we all seek in a timely manner," Afghan foreign minister Salahuddin Rabbani said in January.

The governments of China, Pakistan and the US have urged the Taliban to join the talks, but the jihadist group has said it will not negotiate with an Afghan government it considers illegitimate.  A small breakaway faction from within the group has nonetheless signaled its willingness to join the talks.

The Afghan government is mulling a massive operation against so-called "irreconcilables" in the Taliban -- fighters and commanders who refuse to negotiate peace with Kabul.  But Islamabad has argued that incentives, not threats, will bring the insurgents to the negotiating table.  

Trade Route

Despite simmering differences within the group, many observers close to the talks are optimistic that the powerful four-nation alignment will eventually make tangible progress.  Most agree, however, that the process will take time.

And time appears to be in short supply on all sides.  The Wall Street Journal reports that the Afghan government wants to come to an agreement that would at least reduce the bloodshed before the usual fighting season begins in April. 

There is also some pressure on Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani to deliver on his controversial strategy of bringing Pakistan into the talks in order to mediate with the Taliban.  

Pakistan, on the other hand, needs to see stability in Afghanistan as continued violence in its neighbor's territory is likely to spill into Pakistani borders, where it could jeopardize China's planned $46 billion infrastructure development program for the country.

Beijing intends to build a trade route between Pakistan and western China.  Analysts have said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is one of the most ambitious programs the region has ever seen: an economic thoroughfare that slashes across a strategic swath of Asia with new roads, power plants and industrial parks along the way.

"China hopes that the Quadrilateral Coordination Group will continue its efforts based on previous discussions in order to reach a roadmap acceptable to all parties concerned at an early date and drive forward the reconciliation process," Lu said.  "China is willing to play its role for that end."

TagsChina-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Afghanistan, Taliban insurgents