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18-09-2023
Bureau Report + Agencies
KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: China has become the first country to name a new ambassador to Afghanistan since the Taliban retook power in 2021.
The Taliban said Zhao Xing’s appointment is a sign for other nations to establish ties with its government.
No country has formally recognized the Taliban government, which has been criticized over human rights violations and crushing women’s rights.
Analysts say Zhao’s appointment is part of China’s moves to cement its influence in the region.
Afghanistan is at the centre of a region that is key to Beijing’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. Beijing has previously said that it wants to invest in Afghanistan’s natural resources, estimated to be worth $1 trillion. These include extensive copper, lithium and gold deposits.
“By being the first to name an ambassador post-takeover, China aims to position itself as an influential actor in the region – a possible diplomatic flexing of muscles, especially when many Western countries are still hesitant to engage with the Taliban,” said Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute.
China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday said it will “continue advancing dialogue and cooperation” with Afghanistan and that its policy towards the country is “clear and consistent”. Zhao’s appointment is part of a “normal rotation” of Chinese ambassadors to Afghanistan, it added.
China is one of a handful of nations to maintain working missions in Afghanistan since the Taliban swept back to power. Beijing did not signal if the appointment was part of a wider move to recognize the Taliban government.
Taliban leaders received Zhao at the presidential palace in the capital Kabul on Wednesday in a lavish ceremony that included acting Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund and acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. He replaces Wang Yu, who took up the role in 2019 and completed his tenure as ambassador last month.
The appointment comes in the wake of condemnation from the UN and other international rights groups over the Taliban’s treatment of women, and its decision to reinstate public executions and lashings.
Under Taliban rule, women are barred from working and going to school, among a swathe of other restrictions. Their suppression of women’s rights is among the harshest in the world.
