Afghanistan's Taliban Says Threats Against China 'A Challenge To Our Own'

Afghanistan's Taliban administration says it regards threats directed at China as seriously as threats against its own country as the militant group moves to woo the Asian powerhouse.

The Taliban has "done a lot of work to combat terrorism and we take security threats against China like a challenge to our own," Afghanistan's foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Trans-Himalaya forum in Tibet. "We will not allow any activities that would harm the security and stability of China to happen in Afghanistan."

The assurance came following reports of terror attacks targeting Chinese nationals in the country.

Political observers note that it is the first time the Taliban has used such language in readouts of meetings with Chinese officials even though it made promises related to cracking down on terrorism in the past.

"In this meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral relations between Afghanistan and China, raising the level of diplomatic relations, and new trade corridors," Hafiz Zia Ahmad, Afghan deputy spokesman and assistant director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on X, according to a Google translation.

The two foreign ministers also discussed "many regional issues," noted Ahmad, but he did not elaborate. Wang said Beijing's relationship with Afghanistan is "not affected by any other country, and that China will continue its traditional friendship."

Muttaqi attended the third Trans-Himalaya Forum for International Cooperation in Nyingchi city, located southwest of Tibet, on Thursday. Representatives from more than 40 countries and international groups attended the forum, state media reported.

Last December, Beijing said it was "deeply shocked" by the attack on a Kabul hotel that left five Chinese nationals wounded. "This terror attack is abominable," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at the time.

At a trilateral meeting in Pakistan in May, then-Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang asked the Taliban to take seriously the "security concerns" of its neighbors and implement stronger measures "to counter various terrorist forces" within the country.

Ahead of Wang's first trip to Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021, the militant group said it had assured the Chinese government that it will to address "all concerns" that may "emerge from Afghan soil."

China, like all other countries in the world, has not yet formally recognized the Taliban government. However, the Taliban is looking to strengthen ties with the Asian giant.

Last month, China became the first country to name a new ambassador to Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover. Ambassador Zhao Sheng was welcomed with a lavish ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Muhajid said at the time that Afghanistan hopes Zhao's appointment "would elevate the diplomatic relations between the two countries to a higher level."

China has retained a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan after the Taliban toppled the Afghan government in August 2021 following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops.