Matrix Report
A 9-member Taliban delegation, led by Mulla Ghani Baradar, visited Beijing on July 27 for intensive consultations with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Yue Xiaoyong, Chinese Special envoy for Afghanistan.
The visit comes in the wake of continued fighting in and around Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban movement , and Taliban’s control over seven border points with five neighboring countries – Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and China which is connected with Afghanistan via the mountainous Wakhan Corridor.
An official statement by Taliban’s political office in Doha, Qatar said the meetings focused on bilateral political, economic, security issues, and the Afghan peace process.
“Taliban assured China that no one would be allowed to use Afghan territory against the security of any country,” the statement said. Chinese Ministers and officials in return pledged to “continue and expand its cooperation with the Afghan people.
In line with its long-standing principle of non-interference, Beijing also reiterated it would not interfere in Afghanistan’s affairs, but would rather help resolve problems and bring peace there.
The control of border districts, according to unofficial estimates, has deprived the Afghan government of at least $30 million tax revenues in about five weeks. Revenues from international trade constitutes about 39 percent of Afghanistan’s total tax earnings.
Chinese pro-active engagement with the Taliban seems to be driven by fears of a resurgence of proxy terror groups such as East Turkestan Islamic Movement and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in case Afghanistan remains embattled.
Both groups publicly opposed China and Uzbekistan. During their brief reign over Afghanistan, Taliban hosted – beside Al-Qaeda – many such groups but have recently been assuring all neighbouring countries they will not allow any group to use the Afghan soil for its terror activities against any regional country.
