Taliban Foreign Minister Invited To Visit China

Zia Ahmad Takal, a Spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has announced that Yue Xiaoyong, China’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, has extended an invitation to Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s Foreign Minister, to visit China later this month.

The exact date of the visit has not yet been confirmed.

In a post on X, Takal stated that during a meeting between Muttaqi and Xiaoyong, the two sides discussed political relations and economic cooperation.

According to reports from the meeting, Muttaqi expressed his appreciation for China’s ongoing support of the Taliban administration and commended the progress achieved in bilateral trade.

Takal noted that the Chinese envoy reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to continued support for Afghanistan.

This development follows a joint visit to Kabul on Saturday by China’s and Pakistan’s special envoys for Afghanistan. During their visit, the envoys held a joint meeting with the Taliban’s Minister of Commerce and Industry to discuss regional economic cooperation and trade relations.

While neither China nor Pakistan has formally recognised the Taliban’s rule, their approaches to the regime have diverged. Over the past four years, China has maintained a more consistent and cooperative relationship with the Taliban than Pakistan, having accepted the Taliban-appointed ambassador and established an active diplomatic presence in Afghanistan.