Taliban Stresses Role of China and Belt & Road in Bringing Peace Through Development to Afghanistan

Sept. 5, 2021 (EIRNS)—There may be many factions within the Taliban, but there seems to be a coincidence among them that China and its Belt and Road are the key to bringing peace through development to Afghanistan. In addition to the comments to Italy’s daily La Repubblica by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, reported in yesterday’s EIR Daily Alert, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post today covered statements by Abdul Salam Hanafi, deputy director of the Taliban’s office in Doha, Qatar, in a phone conversation with Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao.

“China has been a trustworthy friend of Afghanistan. The Afghan Taliban is willing to continue to promote friendly relations between Afghanistan and China and will never allow any force to use Afghan territory to threaten China’s interests,” Hanafi said, according to a Sept. 2 statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Hanafi also praised the Belt and Road Initiative, calling it “conducive to the development and prosperity of Afghanistan and the region. Afghanistan hopes to continue to actively support and participate in it.”

Mujahid further stated that China’s Wu Jianghao promised that China would maintain diplomatic relations with the new regime by keeping its embassy in Afghanistan open, and said their “relations would beef up as compared to the past.” Mujahid said China would also increase its humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, especially in Covid-19 treatment, and highlighted the strategic importance of the Central Asian country. “Afghanistan can play an important role in the security and development of the region,” he said in a tweet.