Afghan Crisis: China to host virtual meeting with Central and South Asian state leaders

Beijing: China comes forward to host a virtual meeting with Central and South Asian state leaders, to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan. The meeting of members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, headed by Russia and China is scheduled for Thursday. The group includes Afghanistan as an observer member, but it wasn’t clear if any representatives from the Taliban leadership would be attending the meeting.

 

China hasn’t made it clear about the recognition of new Afghan authorities who have excluded outside parties and women, even though it has acknowledged its leadership and kept its Kabul Embassy open. The government and the state media have accused the United States of destabilizing Afghanistan through what it calls a rapid and chaotic withdrawal of troops, even as the Taliban promptly overcame Afghan government forces over the recent few weeks.

 

China has used the Shanghai Cooperation to advance its position in Central Asia, through political dialogue and joint military movements, aimed largely at weakening the U.S. influence in the region.

 

Beijing has also called on the Taliban to hold to its pledge to restrain militants seeking liberation for the traditionally Muslim north-western region of Xinjiang, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has insisted the group to keep border crossings open. They have also offered 31 million US Dollars in humanitarian assistance, along with 3 million doses of Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine, for the region.