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Afghanistan
ChinaDiplomacy

Taliban to ‘actively support’ belt and road plan of ‘trustworthy friend’ China

  • Pledge from deputy head of Taliban office comes as a spokesman highlights Afghanistan’s strategic value to China in terms of regional security
  • Chinese foreign ministry wouldn’t be drawn out on question of recognising the militant group, but said Beijing was watching the situation closely

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Taliban fighters take control of the Afghan presidential palace in the capital Kabul on August 15. Photo: AP
Shi Jiangtao
Afghanistan will continue to participate in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the Taliban have said, expressing hopes to rely on Beijing’s investment and support to rebuild the war-ravaged country while promising to protect Chinese interests there.
The pledge from Abdul Salam Hanafi, deputy director of the Taliban’s office in Doha, Qatar, came as China aimed to consolidate relations with the Afghan regime led by the Islamic militant group, despite many uncertainties.

In a phone conversation with Chinese assistant foreign minister Wu Jianghao on Thursday, Hanafi said the Islamic group would “take effective measures” to protect Chinese institutions and personnel in Afghanistan.

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Taliban courts China with eye on development projects in Afghanistan

Taliban courts China with eye on development projects in Afghanistan

“China has been a trustworthy friend of Afghanistan. The Afghan Taliban is willing to continue to promote friendly relations between Afghanistan and China and will never allow any force to use Afghan territory to threaten China’s interests,” Hanafi said, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry.

Hanafi also praised the belt and road scheme, Beijing’s top foreign policy and overseas investment strategy. “[It] is conducive to the development and prosperity of Afghanistan and the region. Afghanistan hopes to continue to actively support and participate in it.”

Afghanistan is a member of the multinational Chinese strategy, with the first official memorandum on their partnership signed in 2016.

For China, Afghanistan is strategically located and rich in natural resources. While Beijing has long hoped to expand the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghanistan, it has made little progress over the years due to the volatile situation in the country and China’s fear of the spillover effect of Afghanistan’s instability.

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