China is “our key partner,” says a Taliban spokesman.

[ad_1]

A Taliban spokesperson praised Beijing as a “major partner” and financial firm as the group worked to build national governance and develop Afghanistan’s economy.

Taliban spokesman Zabiura Mujahid told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica on September 1 that “China is our main partner and is ready to invest in and rebuild our country. It represents a fundamental and special opportunity. “

The Mujahideen said a dramatic group of militants who hijacked Afghanistan earlier this month ended the 20-year conflict and celebrated the final withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

However, after the United States blocked the group from accessing billions of Afghan assets held in US bank accounts while the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund each stopped funding Afghanistan. Money has become an urgent concern for the Taliban.

The Taliban appear to be betting on Beijing due to lack of cash. Beijing has not officially acknowledged the Taliban administration recently, but has shown that it is ready to build relationships with the group.

The Taliban was “very enthusiastic” about China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Majahid said. This is a billion-dollar infrastructure project to be leaders 習近 Xiaoping advocates of China, it is intended to expand the economic and political influence of the regime in the world. Afghanistan is an official member of the BRI, but the project has not started under plan.

A spokeswoman also mentioned the currently dormant investment in China’s copper mine development project. “We also have a wealth of copper mines that can be revived and modernized, thanks to the Chinese,” said Majahid.

“China is the gateway to markets around the world,” he added.

Wangi and Taliban leaders
Taliban co-founder Mura Abdul Ghani Baradar (left) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will take pictures at a conference in Tianjin, China, on July 28, 2021. (Li Lan / Xinhua via AP)

The Taliban expressed further enthusiasm for BRI’s involvement in a meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Wu Jangao on September 2.

In the call, a senior member of the Taliban negotiation team, Abdul Salam Hanafi, called China “a trusted friend of Afghanistan,” according to information from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The Hanafi school hoped to “actively support and participate” in the BRI project and said it would “contribute to the prosperity of the region.”

To foster friendly relations between Afghanistan and China, the Taliban vowed that the Taliban “never allow any troops to threaten China’s interests.” Over 1 million Muslim minorities in camps.

The Chinese administration has promised support for Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. At a press conference on Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin described the Taliban’s rule of the country as a “new page of history” and Beijing was “the largest in Afghanistan for the early realization of peace and reconstruction.” We will continue to provide limited support. ” “

The Taliban formed an “inclusive government” and promised to pardon those who fought them and those who worked for the now-collapsed Afghan government. But such promises are skeptical both domestically and between the larger Afghan diaspora.

Pakistan Afghanistan
On August 31, 2021, Afghan families will meet to receive groceries distributed by Islamabad-based Christian groups on the outskirts of Chaman, a town in Balochistan in southwestern Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan. Pakistan crossed the southwestern border of Chaman the day after the United States completed its 20-year military presence in the Taliban. (AP photo)

Afghan refugees who worked for the government before the Taliban hijacking learned that many members of the Taliban had visited his home to request information about his whereabouts since his escape. .. He signed a document in the Epoch Times stating that three Afghans he knew would not be detained, tortured, left the country or open to the public for their detention and torture by Taliban members for three days. He said he was released only later.

In recent weeks, Beijing has used the crisis in Afghanistan for propaganda to discredit the United States. The English media CGTN recently called on Washing to “agree with the Taliban,” “cooperate with us,” and withdraw sanctions.

Some analysts argue that the Chinese administration will bring many benefits to the country by filling the void left by the United States, but the Taliban is likely to rely on Chinese funding for cooperation with the Taliban. The question remains as to whether a viable relationship with the Taliban can be maintained.

Taliban troops are guarding at the entrance gate of Kabul International Airport the day after the U.S. military withdrawal in Kabul
Taliban troops are guarding at the entrance gate of Kabul International Airport the day after the withdrawal of US troops in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 31, 2021. (Stringer / Reuters)

“If the Chinese Communist Party does not want or cannot provide the expected funding in time, or if the Taliban does something that does not please the Taliban, the Taliban will bite China’s hands to feed them very quickly. “Senior researcher Frank Leberger said. He told the Epoch Times with the Usanas Foundation, which is based in India, and previously told the Epoch Times.

Meanwhile, Beijing is addressing the potential spillover of armed groups in the area around Afghanistan, which is already facing increased violence against Chinese workers in the BRI project.

Two recent suicide bombings targeting Pakistani Chinese have killed at least nine people involved in a BRI project in Pakistan.

“We believe China can control the Taliban,” but the victory has inspired other rebel groups, including the Pakistani Taliban terrorist group, who are “very opposed to China.” “In China,” he said in a recent epoch TV webinar.

“We can see the entire region burning, in which case China is a very target,” Chan added.

Evafu

Eva Fu is a writer for The Epoch Times based in New York, focusing on US-China, religious freedom and human rights.

[ad_2]