Leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are preparing to formalize a relationship with the Taliban as the new government of Afghanistan, a Thursday report said.
Chinese assessments of the realities of the Afghan battleground pointed at a necessity to reckon with the militant group, should it succeed in overthrowing the Western-backed government, multiple U.S. intelligence sources familiar with the documents told U.S. News & World Report.
After the president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, fled the country earlier Sunday, the Islamist militant group — which was to remain in the outskirts of Kabul — advanced into the capital.
These recent developments may spur the Chinese government to expedite the process of recognition of what may now be called the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” according to the sources. (RELATED: OPINION: China Will Win Afghanistan — To America’s Embarrassment)
The transition, or re-positioning, from non-state to state begins. If China does acknowledge the Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan, many more countries will follow suit. Important scoop from @PDShinkman https://t.co/fcRcS52Nt0
— Rasha Al Aqeedi (@RashaAlAqeedi) August 12, 2021
China has previously reached an agreement with the Taliban, according to which the militant group will not harbor any terrorist forces capable of igniting Islamist insurrection in China, especially in Xinjiang — the region inhabited by Uyghurs, according to France24.
Additionally, China appears to have a heightened economic interest in Afghanistan illustrated by its push for the completion of a road in the Wakhan Corridor that would connect the two countries, according to U.S. News & World Report.
“China has expressed a huge interest for investment in Afghanistan, particularly in the mining sector, and this road will be good for that, too,” a July 30 report by the U.S. inspector general overseeing reconstruction in Afghanistan read.