Home TRENDING AN OFFICIAL TALIBAN PARTICIPATION IN CHINA’S BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE HAS BEEN...

AN OFFICIAL TALIBAN PARTICIPATION IN CHINA’S BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED.

AN OFFICIAL TALIBAN PARTICIPATION IN CHINA'S BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED.

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BEIJING: The Taliban government wants to formally join Chinese President Xi Jinping’s massive ‘Belt and Road’ infrastructure program and would send a technical team to China for negotiations, the acting commerce minister of Afghanistan said on Thursday.

Despite the fact that no other country has recognized the Taliban-run government since it came to power in 2021, Beijing has been working to strengthen ties with it.

While other countries have kept their current ambassadors in Kabul or appointed heads of mission in a charge d’affaires status that does not need presenting credentials to the government, China appointed its first ambassador to the city last month.

Acting Commerce Minister Haji Nooruddin Azizi told Reuters in an interview the day after the conclusion of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, “We requested China to allow us to be a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Belt and Road Initiative… (and) are discussing technical issues today.”

Pakistan’s “economic corridor” is a massive showcase of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that connects China to Afghanistan.

Without specifying what was holding Afghanistan back, Azizi said the administration will send a technical team to China to help it “better understand” the obstacles standing in the way of it joining the program.

China may find a treasure trove of valuable minerals in Afghanistan. Metallurgical Corp. of China Ltd (MCC) is one of several Chinese firms already active in the region; MCC has discussed building a massive copper mine with the Taliban government and the former government, which was supported by the West.

“China, which invests all over the world, should also invest in Afghanistan… we have everything they need, such as lithium, copper and iron,” added Azizi. “Afghanistan is now, more than ever, ready for investment.”

When asked about the MCC negotiations, Azizi noted that while progress had slowed, conversations were still proceeding despite the mine’s proximity to a historical landmark. “The Chinese company has made a huge investment, and we support them,” according to him.

Investors continue to voice concerns about safety. The Dai’ish terrorist organization has attacked foreign embassies and a hotel in Kabul frequented by Chinese investors.

When asked about the security situation, Azizi claimed that the Taliban-led administration placed a high focus on security and that more areas of the nation were now secure 20 years after the war ended when foreign forces departed and the Taliban assumed power.

“It is now possible to travel to provinces where there is industry, agriculture and mines that one previously could not visit… security can be guaranteed,” stated Azizi.

On the margins of the Belt and Road Forum on Wednesday, Afghanistan and 34 other nations made a pact to cooperate on digital economy and green development.

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