KABUL — China has invited Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, for an official visit at the end of May, Taliban said Sunday, in a move that signals growing political and economic engagement between Beijing and the Taliban.
The invitation followed a meeting in Kabul between Muttaqi and China’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, where the two sides discussed expanding bilateral cooperation.
According to a statement from the Taliban Foreign Ministry, China reaffirmed its support for the Taliban at international forums and expressed interest in increasing trade and investment in Afghanistan.
“China assured its continued backing of the Islamic Emirate in global platforms,” the ministry said, using the Taliban’s official name for their government. The ministry added that the upcoming trip would focus on “political relations and economic collaboration.”
The visit, if it proceeds, would mark a significant diplomatic gesture from Beijing, which has maintained close ties with the Taliban despite their lack of formal international recognition. In February, China became the first country to accept the credentials of a Taliban-appointed ambassador, Bilal Karimi.
The announcement comes a day after a trilateral meeting held behind closed doors in Kabul between Chinese, Pakistani, and Taliban. According to The Express Tribune, the parties reportedly agreed to limit India’s strategic footprint in Afghanistan and encouraged the Taliban to align more closely with regional initiatives led by Beijing and Islamabad.
The Pakistani daily also reported that the Taliban had quietly supported Islamabad’s request for an independent investigation into the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, though Taliban officials did not publicly comment on the matter.
China has steadily expanded its economic footprint in Afghanistan over the past three years, winning major contracts in the country’s mining sector. Taliban authorities have awarded Chinese firms deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars, including a gold mining concession in Takhar Province and a cement project in Logar.
Regional analysts say China views engagement with the Taliban as a strategic investment in regional stability and access to Afghanistan’s untapped resources, while also seeking to limit Western and Indian influence in Central and South Asia.
Taliban, facing growing international isolation and economic hardship, have leaned heavily on their relationships with regional powers like China, Russia, and Iran to secure investment and legitimacy.
