China became, this Wednesday, the first country in naming a ambassador to Afghanistan under the taliban regime after the elected official presented the credentials at a ceremony in Kabul.
“This is the normal rotation of the Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan and its objective is continue advancing dialogue and cooperation” among the countries, indicated the Beijing Foreign Ministry in a statement in which it highlighted that “China’s policy towards Afghanistan is clear and coherent.”
The Embassador Zhao Sheng He arrived at the Presidential Palace escorted by a police convoy and was received by uniformed troops. There, he met with senior Taliban officials – including Mohammad Hasan Akhundwho heads the country’s administration, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi– in what was a lavish and unusual ceremony.
Muttaqi celebrated this fact and considered it “an important step with an important message”. “It is a signal for other countries to approach and interact with the Islamic Emirate. We must establish good relations as a result of good interactions” since with them “we can solve all the problems that lie ahead or that will come in the future,” added the main spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid.
The Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces. The international community maintains sanctions on its leaders and refuses to recognize them as legitimate rulers of the country. That is why, since then, no country had appointed an ambassador there.
Instead, some nations maintain their diplomats who took office before the events of 2021 and, in other cases, they opted to send missions with high-ranking delegates under the title of “charge d’affaires”, which does not require the presentation of credentials to the host authorities. This was the case of Pakistan and the European Union while China officially named a successor for Wang Yu, who had been at the head of the Embassy since 2019.
Although from Beijing they refused to say if it is some form of greater recognition towards the Taliban, they did urge to maintain a dialogue with the country and to participate in the search for an inclusive political framework along with moderate policies. Some countries must “draw lessons” and abandon double standards in their fight against terrorism, return the country’s assets abroad and lift sanctions, they went on to say.
In any case, good relations between Beijing and Kabul are not new.
In July, Chinese businessmen from the Fan China Mining Processing and Trading company held a meeting with the Taliban Prime Minister, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, at the Presidential Palace, in which they announced an investment by USD 350 million in the generation sector energyhe cement and the healthcare. These, added to the initiatives of mining and others public services, are part of the plans Xi Jinping for getting hold of him control of some of the country’s valuable resources.
(With information from Reuters and AP)
Source-www.infobae.com