BEIJING
\nThe Taliban administration wants to formally join Chinese President Xi Jinping\u2019s huge \u2018Belt and Road\u2019 infrastructure initiative and will send a technical team to China for talks, Afghanistan\u2019s acting commerce minister said on Thursday.
\nBeijing has sought to develop its ties with the Taliban-run government since it took over in 2021, even though no other foreign government has recognised the administration.
\nLast month, China became the first country to appoint an ambassador to Kabul, with other nations retaining previous ambassadors or appointed heads of mission in a charge d\u2019affaires capacity that does not involve formally presenting credentials to the government.
\n\u201cWe requested China to allow us to be a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Belt and Road Initiative… (and) are discussing technical issues today,\u201d acting Commerce Minister Haji Nooruddin Azizi told Reuters in an interview a day after the Belt and Road Forum ended in Beijing.
\nThe Pakistan \u201ceconomic corridor\u201d refers to the huge flagship section of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Afghanistan\u2019s neighbour.
\nAzizi said the administration would also send a technical team to China to enable it to \u201cbetter understand\u201d the issues standing in the way of it joining the initiative, but did not elaborate on what was holding Afghanistan back.
\nAfghanistan could offer China a wealth of coveted mineral resources. Several Chinese companies already operate there, including the Metallurgical Corp. of China Ltd (MCC) which has held talks with the Taliban administration, as well as the previous Western-backed government, over plans for a potentially huge copper mine.
\n\u201cChina, which invests all over the world, should also invest in Afghanistan… we have everything they need, such as lithium, copper and iron,\u201d Azizi said. \u201cAfghanistan is now, more than ever, ready for investment.\u201d
\nAsked about the MCC talks, Azizi said discussions had been delayed because the mine was near a historical site, but they were still ongoing. \u201cThe Chinese company has made a huge investment, and we support them,\u201d he added.
\nInvestors have said security remains a concern. The Dai\u2019ish group has targeted foreign embassies and a hotel popular with Chinese investors in Kabul.
\nAsked about the security challenges, Azizi said security was a priority for the Taliban-run government, adding that after 20 years of war – which ended when foreign forces withdrew and the Taliban took over – meant more parts of the country were safe.
\n\u201cIt is now possible to travel to provinces where there is industry, agriculture and mines that one previously could not visit… security can be guaranteed,\u201d Azizi added.
\nAfghanistan and 34 other countries agreed to work together on the digital economy and green development on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum on Wednesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BEIJING The Taliban administration wants to formally join Chinese President Xi Jinping\u2019s huge \u2018Belt and Road\u2019 infrastructure initiative and will send a technical team to China for talks, Afghanistan\u2019s acting commerce minister said on Thursday. Beijing has sought to develop its ties with the Taliban-run government since it took over in 2021, even though no […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":362688,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-362668","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n