DIn order for Wang Yi to meet with the US Deputy Secretary of State, the Americans had to go through several days of arduous negotiations.Afghan Taliban However, the Chinese Foreign Minister approved a truly large railway station on Wednesday. To greet the Taliban deputy leader Abdul Ghani Baradar, Wang Yi respectfully placed his right hand on his left chest in accordance with the customs of Afghanistan. Baradal then sat in the same chair that US Secretary of State Wendy Sherman sat in on Monday at a hotel in Tianjin. Such etiquette issues play a very important role in China. This is certainly not a coincidence. The extremists who were striving for diplomatic recognition were clearly escalated by Beijing. The question is what China wants in return.
This is not the first time Baradar has visited China. But on previous occasions, such as September 2019, he did not get the stage. The meeting was only confirmed later. The person who received Barada at the time was confidential, as was the location and date. On the other hand, on Wednesday, the official media was even invited to take photos and videos of the meeting. From this, Beijing sent a signal that it intends to play a greater role in neighboring countries after the U.S. forces withdraw from Afghanistan.
Wang Yi There is no doubt that China regards the Taliban as the center of the future Afghanistan. “The Taliban is an important military and political force in Afghanistan and will play an important role in the process of peace, reconciliation and reconstruction,” he said. Beijing’s main concern is that with the approval of the Taliban, Uyghur extremists may launch attacks in Afghanistan or against Chinese targets in the region. So far, it is estimated that there are hundreds of Uyghur fighters supporting the Taliban. In this context, the Foreign Minister called on the Taliban to “cut off ties with terrorist organizations such as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM)” and “take effective actions against such organizations.” The UN Security Council classifies ETIM as a terrorist organization. However, their strength and existence are controversial.
A Taliban spokesperson said on Twitter, “The delegation assured China that they would not allow anyone to use Afghanistan’s land against China.” But he avoided using the term ETIM. With a politician style, he emphasized that the political, economic, and security issues of the two countries have been discussed. If the Taliban seize power, China will become the most important potential donor for infrastructure projects. Compared with Western donors, Beijing may not rely on ideological concessions, such as women’s rights, to provide financial support.
In recent weeks, other capitals such as Moscow and Tehran have also received Taliban representatives. The face-to-face meeting with the foreign minister was not approved there, at least officially.
