China prepared to recognize Taliban-rule in Afghanistan if Kabul falls: Report

With fall of Kandahar mounting serious pressure on Afghanistan government, sources have learned that China is ready to accept Taliban as a 'legitimate ruler' of country if it succeeds in toppling its capital Kabul. According to a report in U.S News, with Taliban overrunning 10 major provincial capitals in war-torn nation, including key territory near China's border, communist country w hopes to make significant strides in Afghanistan to expand its regional infrastructure projects. Keeping its investment interests in mind, Chinese military and intelligence assessments on ground have encourd Bejing to prepare to formalize ir relationship with Taliban, if Kabul was to fall, as per U.S. and foreign intelligence sources.

Why China is looking to make advances in Afghanistan

With withdrawal of US troops, experts had raised alarm on China's growing footprint in mineral-rich region against backdrop of Afghanistan crisis. In an interview with state-run South China Morning Post, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen had invited Communist country to invest in reconstruction work in Afghanistan. Here, he had called China 'a welcome friend' and had said that Taliban has 'good relations' with Chinese.

bonhomie between China and Taliban once again gained limelight after Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a high-profile official meeting with a delegation of nine Afghan Taliban representatives in July. meeting included Taliban's co-founder and deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. It concluded with China publically recognizing Taliban as a "pivotal military and political force" in Afghanistan. 

Days later, in an opinion piece, China's state-run media Global Times stated that making an enemy of Taliban is t in interest of China. Global Times' Editor-in-chief Hu Xijin said, "China should t easily reject goodwill from Taliban, which is of great significance to our exerting influence in Afghanistan and maintaining stability in Xinjiang."

However, China's attempts to cozy up with Taliban are far from recent. In 2015, China hosted secret talks between representatives of Taliban and Afghan government in Urumqi. This was followed by a visit of Taliban delegation to Bejing in 2016. After talks fell between Taliban and US in Doha in 2019, China once again attempted to play mediator and invited Taliban's head of political office Bardar to attend an Afghan conference in Bejing.

It is important to mention that like its or Asian neighbors- such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka, China is also looking to invest big in mineral-rich Afghanistan which harbors billions of dollars worth of unexploited reserves. tably, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) had consolidated a 25-year contract to drill three oil fields in region in 2011. Apart from business, region also holds significant geopolitical importance and offers a direct portal to Arabian Sea and possible access to Iran and Middle East. It also offers China, a route to Indian Ocean and Africa.