Justin Bullock, FISM News
Chinese diplomatic officials met with a delegation from the Taliban in Afghanistan, reportedly to discuss peace in Afghanistan and the broader region. According to the Taliban, nine of their representatives met with Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Minister, in Tianjin, China on Wednesday. Mohammed Naeem, a Taliban spokesperson tweeted that the topic of discussion in the meeting with China was,
Politics, economy and issues related to the security of both countries and the current situation of Afghanistan and the peace process…
The timing of the meeting, shortly after the substantial US departure from Afghanistan, as well as the fact that they met with China is a signal to the world that the Taliban is seeking to cement its international credibility and legitimacy. The Taliban currently only has formal offices in Qatar but also recently sent a delegation to Iran. It should also be noted that China shares a border with Afghanistan.
In any event the US has staunchly come out against the political take over in Afghanistan by the Taliban. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that there are no immediate concerns with the Taliban meeting with China. However, he did indicate that the US hopes that discussions were reserved entirely to establishing a final and lasting peace in Afghanistan. The Taliban’s Naeem went on to say the following about the meeting,
(The) delegation assured China that they will not allow anyone to use Afghan soil against China. China also reiterated its commitment of continuation of their assistance with Afghans and said they will not interfere in Afghanistan’s issues but will help to solve the problems and restoration of peace in the country.