WHILE most countries have been treating the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan as a pariah, China is actively growing its diplomatic and economic ties with the landlocked country. A historic development in this context took place earlier this year when, in a surprise move for many countries, including Pakistan, President Xi Jinping received the credentials of Asadullah Bilal Karimi, the Afghan ambassador to China.

This event marked the first official recognition of the interim Taliban government by a major country. On its part, the United Sates has accused the Taliban government of having violated the Doha Accord by not establishing an inclusive government, and not granting equal rights to women in terms of education and employment.

Beijing is interested in Afghanistan’s mining, manufacturing, agricultural and services sectors as the latter possesses valuable mineral resources, like copper, lithium and rare earth elements, that are essential for Chinese industries. China has been making inroads into Afghanistan through investments and projects.

In the last year alone, Afghanistan has attracted massive investments from Chinese companies interested in its reserves of copper, cobalt, gold, iron and lithium that are valued at about $1 trillion. The most prominent among these deals was a 25-year, multi-million-dollar oil extraction contract with an estimated investment value of $150 million in the first year, and up to $540 million over the subsequent three years. This is a huge investment in a country that is struggling to attract any investor at all.

As China strengthens its relationship with Afghanistan, international scrutiny will undoubtedly focus on how the two sides proceed forward. Chinese decisions will perhaps pave the way for others to grant de jure recognition to the Taliban regime.

Syed Zamin Ali
Larkana

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2024