China, Pakistan, Bangladesh working to replace Saarc with new regional bloc

New Delhi: Pakistan and China are reportedly working together to establish a new regional grouping aimed at replacing the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), where India was once a key player.

India Today, citing a report from The Express Tribune of Pakistan, stated that discussions between Islamabad and Beijing on forming this new bloc are already at an advanced stage. The report also noted that Bangladesh participated in a recent meeting held in Kunming, China, on June 19 to explore the creation of the proposed group.

According to The Express Tribune, the primary goal of the Kunming meeting was to extend invitations to other South Asian nations, many of them former SAARC members, to join this emerging regional platform. The development follows a China-Pakistan-Afghanistan trilateral dialogue held in May, which focused on expanding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and deepening cooperation with Afghanistan’s Taliban-led regime.