Taliban plans to formally join China’s Belt and Road Initiative

The Taliban administration wants to formally join President Xi Jinping’s huge Belt and Road Infrastructure initiative and will send a technical team to China for discussions, the acting commerce minister Haji Nooruddin Azizi, said on October 19.

Despite no country formally recognising the Taliban since it took over the country in 2021, Beijing has sought to develop ties with its administration. Afghanistan could offer China a wealth of coveted mineral resources.

China last month became the first country to appoint an ambassador to Kabul since the Taliban took power, with other nations retaining previous ambassadors or appointed heads of mission in a charge d’affaires capacity that does not involve formally presenting credentials to the government.

“Afghanistan is now, more than ever, ready for investment,” Azizi said.

A series of restrictions on women’s access to public life and the barring of many female NGO staff from work has increased roadblocks to recognition, especially by Western countries, officials and international relations analysts say.