NEW DELHI, March 24: The Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday paid a surprise visit to Afghanistan travelling to Kabul following his visit to and before arriving in New Delhi on his India leg trip of the three nations.
This is the first major visit to Afghanistan from China since the return of the Taliban and the fall of Kabul in August 2021. Wang has, however, engaged with the Taliban previously, hosting a delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Tianjin near Beijing in July last year, shortly before the Taliban takeover.
While most countries, including India, closed their embassies as Kabul fell, China underlined its comfort with the Taliban by keeping its mission open, and in recent months, the Taliban has courted Chinese investment, although Beijing has only provided limited financial support so far amid the unprecedented economic and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The security situation there, however, remains a concern for Chinese companies, an issue that is expected to figure in Wang’s short visit. The Chinese Foreign Minister, in Pakistan earlier this week, discussed with Prime Minister Imran Khan plans to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan. The Chinese Foreign Ministry quoted Khan as saying that “China-Afghanistan-Pakistan cooperation is conducive to stability in Afghanistan and its role as a hub in regional connectivity” and that Pakistan “is ready to work with China to jointly advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan.”
China and Pakistan have previously spoken about aligning their Afghanistan strategies, with both sharing good relations with the Taliban. Wang also discussed Afghanistan with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa. Criticising the West, he said “the Afghan issue should not be solved by exerting pressure or imposing sanctions, but by drawing on the wisdom of the East to promote dialogue and communication.” “Both China and Pakistan encourage the ruling authorities of Afghanistan to actively build an open and inclusive political architecture, implement moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies and resolutely combat terrorism in all its forms,” he said.
During his visit to Pakistan, Wang addressed the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and said China “respects the choice of the Afghan people, and supports Afghanistan’s efforts to usher in an inclusive political structure and moderate governance and open a new chapter of peace and reconstruction.”
He had also made some references to the Kashmir issue saying that “On Kashmir, we have heard again today the calls of many of our Islamic friends. And China shares the same hope” which brought sharp reactions from India. The Ministry of External Affairs said, “We reject the uncalled reference to India by the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his speech at the Opening Ceremony. Matters related to the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir are entirely the internal affairs of India. Other countries including China have no locus standi to comment. They should note that India refrains from public judgement of their internal issues.”
(Manas Dasgupta)