Afghanistan ‘last piece’ of strategic puzzle as Beijing looks to shut out West
The Afghan Taliban says China has accepted its choice for ambassador to Beijing with the release of this photo of an unidentified Taliban representative.
NEW DELHI/BEIJING — Afghanistan’s Taliban government says Beijing has officially accepted its ambassador to China, making it the first country to recognize an envoy from Kabul since the Islamist group seized power in August 2021.
The Afghan Taliban’s chief spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, told Nikkei that “China approved Bilal Karimi as an Islamic Emirate ambassador to China. China is the only country that approved an Islamic Emirate ambassador.”
Mujahid called China an “important and strong” player in the region and noted that it is a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.
“China took the step to interact with us,” he said.
On the U.S. front, the Taliban spokesperson said that the “Islamic Emirate tried its best, but the United States of America didn’t want [a] good relationship. It still keeps freezing Taliban assets, not recognizing us, and banning our officials’ travels.”
China sent an ambassador to Afghanistan in September and has shown a willingness to deal with the Taliban government.
“China believes that Afghanistan should not be excluded from the international community,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a news conference on Tuesday. “We hope Afghanistan will further respond to the expectations of the international community” by building an inclusive political structure and adopting moderate policies, he said, adding, “We believe that diplomatic recognition of the Afghan government will come naturally as the concerns of various parties are effectively addressed.”
So far, no country has officially recognized the Taliban government in Kabul, and many are likely to remain cautious about doing so, even if China moves forward. Eighty countries and regions issued a joint statement in October at the U.N. General Assembly’s Third Committee, which deals with human rights, stating that edicts by the Afghan Taliban “involve the most acute and systematic form of discrimination, oppression and violence of women and girls in the world,” and called on them to immediately dismantle repressive measures.
But according to Mujahid, “about 20 countries” maintain diplomats to engage with the Taliban, without formally recognizing the government.
Following the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan’s economy has been squeezed by Western sanctions and a cutoff of international aid, which used to pay for most of the country’s budget. These moves deepened the country’s isolation and pushed its rulers toward China.
Close ties with the Taliban could benefit Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, projects of which are underway in neighboring Pakistan. Afghanistan is also a potential supplier of minerals to China, with resources such as gold, copper and lithium reportedly worth $1 trillion.
“China wants to make sure Central and South Asia are not accessible to the West beyond a [certain] point,” said Kabir Taneja of the Indian think tank Observer Research Foundation. “China already has very good relations with Pakistan, Iran and Central Asia. Afghanistan was the last piece of the puzzle which they were trying to secure,” he added.
Additional reporting by Nooruddin Bakhshi.