October 16, 2023
1 min read

Taliban to Join China’s BRI Forum

Taliban officials have attended regional meetings, primarily related to Afghanistan, but the Belt and Road Forum is one of the most prominent multilateral summits they’ve been invited to….reports Asian Lite News

Taliban will attend China’s Belt and Road Forum underscoring Beijing’s growing official ties with the administration, despite its lack of formal recognition by any government, the media reported.

Taliban officials and ministers have at times travelled to regional meetings, mostly those focused on Afghanistan, but the Belt and Road Forum is among the highest-profile multilateral summits it has been invited to attend, The News reported.

The forum in Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday marks the 10th anniversary of President Xi Jinping’s ambitious global infrastructure and energy initiative, billed as recreating the ancient Silk Road to boost global trade.

The Taliban’s acting minister for commerce and industry, Haji Nooruddin Azizi, will travel to Beijing in the coming days, ministry spokesman Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad said.

“He will attend and will invite large investors” to Afghanistan, he said.

The impoverished country could offer a wealth of coveted mineral resources. A mines minister estimated in 2010 that Afghanistan had untapped deposits, ranging from copper to gold and lithium, worth between $1 trillion and $3 trillion. It is not clear how much they are worth today, The News reported.

China has been in talks with the Taliban over plans, begun under the previous foreign-backed government, over a possible huge copper mine in eastern Afghanistan.

Azizi will continue discussions in Beijing on plans to build a road through the Wakhan corridor, a thin, mountainous strip in northern Afghanistan, to provide direct access to China, Akhundzada said.

Officials from China, the Taliban and neighbouring Pakistan said in May they would like Belt and Road to include Afghanistan and for the flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to be extended across the border to Afghanistan, The News reported.

ALSO READ: China Emerges as Lanka’s Largest Bilateral Creditor

Previous Story

Wickremesinghe Due in China for BRI Meet

Next Story

Explosion Rocks Takhar Province in Afghanistan

Latest from -Top News

Pakistan’s Shadow War in Balochistan

At least 50 killed by Pakistan-backed death squads in Balochistan in April, says HRCB — toll expected to rise in May….reports Asian Lite News The Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) reported

Russia, Ukraine Resume Talks

The upcoming talks follow a significant hiatus in diplomatic engagement between the two nations, which have been locked in a brutal conflict since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 Russia and

UN Pays Tribute to Indian Soldiers

Thursday was observed as the 77th UN Peacekeepers Day, honouring the work of 61,353 peacekeepers, of whom 5,375 hailed from India….reports Asian Lite News Brigadier Amitabh Jha and Havildar Sanjay Singh, who

Modi’s New Warfare Playbook

Modi has upended the old playbook and India and Pakistan are entering dangerous new territory where nuclear deterrence is no longer a guarantee against conventional conflict…writes Collins Chong Yew Keat The India-Pakistan
Go toTop

Don't Miss

China remains formidable challenge: Indian Navy Chief

Admiral R. Hari Kumar said China has increased its presence

EVERGRANDE: Chinese Economy Feels The pain

Fantasia’s default shows that Evergrande’s troubles “could dampen the sentiment