KABUL: With the expansion of economic ties with Afghanistan high on the agenda, China is hosting a two-day meeting of six regional foreign ministers, starting today, Wednesday, that will be attended by acting Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
The third meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighbours Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will take place in Tunxi, China’s eastern Anhui province, on March 30-31. Pakistan hosted the first meeting of the group in September 2021 and Tehran the second in October 2021.
The meeting comes just days after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Muttaqi to discuss political and economic ties, including starting work in the mining sector and Afghanistan's possible role in China's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.
China is among just a handful of countries, including Pakistan and Qatar, that has sent a minister to Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the country last August. Foreign governments, including Beijing, have held back on formally recognising the Taliban administration, with many saying the Taliban need to prove their commitment to human rights, counter-terrorism and inclusive governance.
But now, China is looking to become the first major power to take on large-scale projects in Afghanistan, plunged into financial and humanitarian crises since the exit of United States-led foreign forces and a Taliban takeover last August.
“The Taliban are eagerly looking for China’s investment in mines, especially the Mes Aynak copper mine,” Hekmatullah Zaland, executive director of the Kabul-based Center for Strategic and Regional Studies, told Arab News. “They put a lot of hope in China’s economic support to Afghanistan.”
Afghanistan’s mineral resources are estimated to be worth $1 trillion and have not been tapped amid decades of violence. Mes Aynak, 40 km southeast of Kabul, is home to the country’s largest copper deposit, expected to be worth tens of billions of dollars.
Political analyst Abdul Hai Qanit agreed that attracting investment was a key priority of Afghan authorities, while regional countries were looking at the forum for opportunities to improve connectivity and security.
“They [Taliban] will look forward to convincing China into more investment in Afghanistan,” he said. “China is aiming for this too.”
“Neighboring countries realize that a stable and connected Afghanistan will enhance regional integration and economic development,” he added.
Before departing for China on Tuesday, Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan supported a “regional approach” on Afghanistan with the aim of promoting durable peace and stability in the region.
“Pakistan will continue to support the international community’s efforts to advance the shared objectives of a peaceful, stable, sovereign, prosperous and connected Afghanistan,” he said.
Besides economic cooperation, the Taliban were also looking for Beijing’s “political support internationally, as a country that has influence over Afghanistan’s neighbors in particular,” Zaland said.
But there is little chance the upcoming meeting will end with Beijing recognizing the Taliban government.
“From China’s standpoint, the time for recognition has not come yet,” Torek Farhadi, a former adviser to the Afghan government, told Arab News. “China wants an inclusive government in Kabul and sees long-term stability made possible this way.”
The Taliban returned to power in mid-August, two decades after their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001.
While they had promised to form an inclusive government, they eventually installed an all-male, Taliban-only administration, and curtailed the rights of women.
The third meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan too will come after renewed concerns over rights under the Taliban who last week backtracked on a decision to reopen schools to girls beyond the sixth grade - one of the conditions the international community had set for possible official engagement with the Afghan government.
