China FM holds talks with Taliban leaders in Kabul, mining and BRI top agenda

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Kabul on Wednesday morning for a visit to Afghanistan and to attend the sixth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The trip follows the Chinese top diplomat's visit to India, during which he met his counterpart as well as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Although Beijing had not yet released its own detailed account of the Kabul discussions, the foreign ministry of Afghanistan's Taliban-led government reported that Chinese officials expressed a strong interest in exploring and extracting the country’s mineral wealth.
The ministry also stated that China encouraged Kabul to formally participate in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects.
According to the ministry’s statement, Foreign Minister Wang Yi held high-level talks with Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, with both sides expressing a desire to broaden cooperation.
Wang was also reported to have noted that the two nations are working to facilitate agricultural trade and boost Afghanistan’s farm exports to China.
"Mr. Wang Yi also mentioned that China intends to initiate practical mining activities this year," the Afghan ministry said.
China was among the first nations to maintain its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan following the Taliban's return to power in 2021 and has since sought deeper engagement with the administration.
For Beijing, Afghanistan’s untapped reserves of lithium, copper, and iron hold significant strategic value for bolstering supply chain resilience in critical industries.
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