China link Foreign Ministerlink Wang Yilink in Kabul on Thursday, a weekbefore Beijing hosts a meeting of Afghanistanlink neighbours on how to assist theTaliban government.
Even before the hardline Islamists seized control of the country in August,Beijing had sought to maintain ties with the group as US-led foreign forceswithdrew. However, like other countries, Chinalink has so far not officially recognisedthe Taliban government.
“Chinese Foreign Ministerlink arrivesin Kabul for talks with Islamic Emirate leaders,” tweeted Ahmad Yasir, atop Taliban official.
Soon after his arrival he went into a meeting with Taliban Foreign Ministerlink Khan Muttaqi.
Wang arrived in Kabul from Islamabad where he attended a two-day meeting ofthe Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Since the exit of the former US-backed regime, Afghanistanlink has been further plunged intofinancial and humanitarian crises.
The United Nations and other aid agencies say more than half of thecountry’s 38 million people are facing hunger as the winter drags on.
China link shares only a rugged 76-kilometre(47-mile) sliver of a border with Afghanistanlink, but Beijing has long feared itsneighbour could become a staging point for minority Muslim Uyghurseparatists from Xinjiang.
Beijing is due to host a meeting of Afghanistanlink neighbours next week that wouldallow the Taliban to present their own assessment of the latest situationin the country.
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Media reports say that during the meeting Chinese and Pakistani officialsare expected to discuss new economic projects in Afghanistanlink.
The Taliban’s takeover opens a strategic door to Chinalink laden with both risk and opportunity.
Maintaining stability after decades of war in Afghanistanlink is Beijing’s main consideration,as it seeks to secure its borders and strategic infrastructure investmentsin neighbouring Pakistan, home to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
For Beijing, a stable and cooperative administration in Kabul would alsopave the way for an expansion of its Belt and Road Initiative intoAfghanistan link and through theCentral Asian republics, analysts say.
The Taliban have also repeatedly expressed their hope to develop goodrelations with China link.
They consider China link a crucial source ofinvestment and economic support, either directly or via Pakistan.
During the chaotic takeover of power by the hardline Islamists, Beijingkept its embassy open in Kabul even as it evacuated many citizens from thecountry.
