China's FM Yi arrives in Afghanistan for the first time
Wang Yi's arrival is ahead of talks with Afghanistan and neighboring countries to aid in Kabul's development.
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Foreign Minister Wang Yi presided over the 4th China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Dialogue in Guiyang, China, on June 3, 2021.
On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Kabul a week before Beijing hosts a meeting with Afghanistan's neighbors to examine how energies will be employed to help Kabul post-Taliban takeover.
"Chinese Foreign Minister arrives in Kabul for talks with Islamic Emirate leaders," tweeted Ahmad Yasir, a senior Taliban official.
The objective of this meeting, the third of its kind, is to contribute to the achievement of long-term stability in Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on March 2.
"China will hold the third meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan's neighboring countries at the appropriate time to benefit fully from advantages of neighboring countries, highlight their features, and play a positive role in achieving a long-term order and long-term stability in Afghanistan," Wang told his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during a phone conversation.
From Islamabad, Yi arrived in Kabul after attending a two-day meeting for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
China shares a 76-kilometer border with Afghanistan: However, China has feared for many years that Afghanistan could become a springboard for religious extremism and Uyghur separatism in Xinjiang.
Beijing has been maintaining friendly ties with the Taliban-led government after US forces withdrew from Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has been struggling with poverty, demanding Biden to unfreeze 7 billion dollars worth of Afghan assets, which his administration will be splitting among families of 9/11 victims. None of the 9/11 terrorists were Afghan.
Read more: China: The United States Destroys, Rather Than Rebuilds
In addition to contributing to the development of Afghanistan, China has aided the country with food, winter materials, COVID-19 vaccines, and medicines worth 200 million yuan.
Earlier this month, the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum signed a contract with the Chinese Metallurgical Group Corporation to mine copper.
"The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum announced the start of copper mining at the Aynak deposit in Logar province. A contract for the exploitation of the deposit has already been signed with the Chinese company MCC, which will start working in the coming days," the spokesperson for the ministry wrote on Twitter.
