The Wakhan Corridor, a narrow land strip surrounded by some of the highest mountain ranges in the world, is a relic of the 19th-century “Great Game” between the British Indian Empire and Tsarist Russia. Despite its remote location, this strip of land, controlled by the Taliban in Afghanistan, is gaining significant strategic importance, particularly for China.

Measuring just 13 kilometers at its narrowest point, the Wakhan Corridor connects Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province to China’s Xinjiang region. It also acts as a natural boundary between Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region and Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, as well as the disputed Gilgit Baltistan region of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. Spanning 350 kilometers in length and 13 to 65 kilometers in width, the region covers an area of 10,300 square kilometers and is home to approximately 15,000 residents.

While this area may seem like a distant outpost, China’s growing interest is becoming increasingly evident. The country has been eyeing the Wakhan Corridor for over a decade, particularly since the introduction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). As part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, CPEC is a $66 billion infrastructure project designed to connect China to Pakistan. Now, Beijing is looking to extend this initiative through the Wakhan Corridor, hoping to link it with Central Asia and revitalize the ancient Silk Road, which historically connected China to Europe.