Taliban requests China expand cooperation at Moscow Format meeting
The Taliban administration has asked China to expand cooperation at the Moscow Format meeting.
The Taliban-run Foreign Ministry said acting minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met and spoke with Yu Xiao Yong, China’s special envoy for Afghanistan, on the sidelines of the eighth Moscow Format meeting.
According to the ministry, the meeting covered bilateral relations between Afghanistan and China, regional developments and the “further expansion of joint cooperation.” The Taliban foreign ministry said Muttaqi described the conditions as favourable for strengthening ties between the two sides “based on mutual respect and shared interests.”
The ministry also claimed that Muttaqi thanked China for its “constructive and balanced stance” toward Taliban-controlled Afghanistan at the Moscow Format meeting.
According to the Taliban foreign ministry’s statement, China’s special envoy described his country’s relations with the Taliban administration as “positive” and shared China’s view of the regional situation. The statement added that he stressed the need for joint efforts for regional stability, mutual cooperation and Afghanistan’s economic and regional connectivity.
As of the publication of this report, Yu Xiao Yong had not independently commented on the meeting.
China has in recent years developed closer political and economic ties with the Taliban administration, but despite these interactions, Beijing has not yet recognised the Taliban administration in Afghanistan. The Moscow Format is one of the regional meetings on Afghanistan attended by representatives of various countries.
