China
has become the first country to name a new ambassador to Afghanistan since the
Taliban retook power in 2021.
The Taliban said Zhao
Xing's appointment is a sign for other nations to establish ties with its
government.
No other country has
recognized the Taliban government, which has been criticized over human rights
violations and crushing women's rights.
Analysts say Mr Zhao's
appointment is part of China's moves to cement its influence in the region.
Afghanistan is at the
center of a region that is key to Beijing's Belt and Road infrastructure
initiative. Beijing has previously said that it wants to invest in
Afghanistan's natural resources, estimated to be worth $1 trillion. These
include extensive copper, lithium, and gold deposits.
"By being the first to
name an ambassador post-takeover, China aims to position itself as an
influential actor in the region - a possible diplomatic flexing of muscles,
especially when many Western countries are still hesitant to engage with the
Taliban," said Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia
Society Policy Institute.
China's foreign ministry on
Wednesday said it will "continue advancing dialogue and cooperation"
with Afghanistan and that its policy towards the country is "clear and
consistent". Mr Zhao's appointment is part of a "normal
rotation" of Chinese ambassadors to Afghanistan, it added.
Taliban leaders received Mr.
Zhao at the presidential palace in the capital Kabul on Wednesday in a lavish
ceremony that included acting prime minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund and acting
foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. He replaces Wang Yu, who completed his
tenure as ambassador last month.
The appointment comes in
the wake of condemnation from the UN and other international rights groups over
the Taliban's treatment of women, and its decision to reinstate public
executions and lashings.
Under Taliban rule, women
are barred from working and going to school, among a swathe of other
restrictions. Their suppression of women's rights is among the harshest in the
world.
The Taliban has also been
accused of sheltering terror groups in Afghanistan, which they have denied.
But maintaining diplomatic
ties with the Taliban is important to China for economic and security reasons,
analysts say.
Militants along Afghanistan's border with China's Xinjiang region have targeted Chinese projects in the past, sometimes as retaliation for Beijing's mistreatment of its Muslim minorities such as Uyghurs. Reporting by the BBC supports rights groups' accusations of mass detentions, forced labor, and abuse of a million Uyghurs. China denies any wrongdoing.
A few thousand Uyghurs who have, over the years, fled across the border to Afghanistan also now fear they can be victims of China's growing influence in the country.
In January this year, the Taliban signed a contract with a Chinese firm in the first major energy extraction agreement with a foreign firm since they seized power.
Earlier this year,
China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan also agreed to extend the Beijing-backed
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor into Afghanistan, giving it a prominent role
in the ambitious initiative. The leaders of Pakistan and China said at the time
that they wanted to help "rebuild" Afghanistan.
Observers say the role
Afghanistan plays at the Belt and Road Initiative conference this October, and
in the broader project, will be watched closely.
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