China Hasn’t Given Up on the Belt and Road
Foreign AffairsFEB 23 2023
Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, told Reuters on Saturday that the acting minister, Haji Nooruddin Azizi, will travel to Beijing next week to attend China's Belt and Road Forum.
While Taliban officials and ministers have traveled to some regional meetings, particularly those focused on Afghanistan, the Belt and Road Forum is among the highest-profile summits in which they have been invited to participate.
This conference, which will attract leaders from around the world, including Russia's Vladimir Putin, marks the 10th anniversary of Pres. Xi Jinping's controversial initiative that has funded some $900B in infrastructure and other projects.
The Taliban's infamy hasn't stopped China from deepening ties with Kabul to create trouble for India and the US in order to expand its global influence and become the world's only superpower. Beijing has captured the Taliban by attracting the unrecognized government to the Belt and Road debt trap, positioning itself in a privileged place to exploit Afghanistan's mineral wealth.
Despite years of occupation and billions of dollars allocated to their own forces and contractors, the US and its allies have clamorously failed the Afghan people. Now, the Chinese engagement with Afghanistan has brought hope for positive change because Beijing can help develop the country's power generation, agriculture, healthcare, education, and mining sector.