Chinese officials met with Taliban (IEA) leadership in Kabul this week to discuss the expansion of economic and diplomatic cooperation.
Delighted meeting again Afghan acting FM Mr. A. K. Muttaqi in Kabul today, my second visit to the country since last Aug. Both agreed to work together on the following up of the Tunxi Afghan Neighboring Countries’ FMs’ fruitful meetings last March attended also by Mr. Muttaqi. pic.twitter.com/ykB83POrUI
— Dr. Yue Xiaoyong????Yueh Hsiaoyung) (@stuartyueh) August 9, 2022
There was an array of meetings held on Wednesday between Chinese and Taliban officials. The most prominent was that of China’s Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs, Yue Xiaoyong, meeting with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting Taliban Minister of Foreign Affairs. The two stressed economic development, with the IEA’s Arg Palace Twitter account tweeting that Xiaoyong said “China wants good governance in Afghanistan, Chinese investors and companies will be encouraged to invest in Afghanistan. Visas are given to Afghan businessmen, Chinese flights to Afghanistan are starting and we want to increase Chinese imports to Afghanistan.”
The account also added that “China is willing to invest in infrastructure projects in Afghanistan and neighboring countries should take advantage of the investment opportunities in Afghanistan” and that “The political deputy of the Ministry assured about the investment opportunities in Afghanistan and the security of Chinese investors.”
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Since the withdrawal of American forces and the Taliban takeover, China has sought to tap into Afghanistan’s economic potential, laying the foundation for Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) expansion into the country, as well as exploiting the vast natural resources the country has to offer, such as oil, gas, copper, gold, lithium, and other rare earth metals. However, China faces security threats from other militant groups operating in the country, such as Uyghur extremists. China has now tapped into the Taliban to offer protection in exchange for increased investment opportunities, which comes as the IEA faces several billions of dollars frozen in international funds.
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— Abdul Qahar Balkhi (@QaharBalkhi) August 9, 2022
Muttaqi also thanked China for its $8 billion in assistance following recent earthquakes in Afghanistan’s east.
IEA Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi also released a statement on the meetings, saying “The foreign minister also expressed his gratitude that the Chinese government has started the process of issuing visas to Afghan businessmen in Kabul and called this measure very useful for bilateral trade between Afghanistan and China. Muttaqi asked the Chinese side to lay the groundwork for Afghanistan’s exports to China.”
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— Embassy of Afghanistan – Beijing (@beijing_embassy) August 11, 2022
Meanwhile in China, Acting Taliban General of the Afghan Embassy Syed Muhyiddin Sadat met with the Deputy Director of China Railway Group Limited, Wang Zhiqiang, to discuss cooperation in regards to railway extension and construction of highways in Afghanistan.
