China on Wednesday named a new ambassador to Afghanistan, becoming the first country in the world to make an ambassadorial-level appointment to the brutal Taliban regime.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry insisted the appointment of ambassador Zhao Xing was a routine formality and did not represent any change in Beijing’s stance toward the Taliban, which seized control of Afghanistan by force in August 2021.
“This is the normal rotation of China’s ambassador to Afghanistan, and is intended to continue advancing dialogue and cooperation between China and Afghanistan. China’s policy towards Afghanistan is clear and consistent,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
The Taliban’s foreign ministry confirmed that no other country in the world has sent an ambassador since the fall of Kabul in 2021.
“Acting” Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund (so designated because the entire Taliban regime is supposedly a temporary government) formally accepted Zhao’s credentials on Wednesday in a ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul:
Video: 🇳China’s newly appointed ambassador to #Afghanistan presented his diplomatic credentials to the Islamic Emirate’s acting Prime Minister Mullah Hassan Akhund at #Kabul. pic.twitter.com/Yffe1s2YqJ
— Shen Shiwei 沈诗伟 (@shen_shiwei) September 13, 2023
At the ceremony, Zhao praised the Taliban for “significant economic progress and improved security,” an interesting choice of words for a regime that wrecked Afghanistan’s financial system, flung most of its people into abject poverty, and could soon experience mass deaths from starvation without the charity of other nations.
“China respects Afghanistan’s national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and will never interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs,” Zhao promised.
Zhao replaced Ambassador Wang Yu, who was China’s envoy to Afghanistan from 2019 until August 2023. Some other countries have kept the ambassadors they sent before 2021 in place, but China is the first to appoint a new representative and receive ceremonial acceptance from the Taliban regime.
The Taliban was delighted with the show of respect from Beijing, and oblivious to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s insistence that it signaled no changes in policy.
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi called Zhao’s appointment a “significant step with a significant message” for other nations.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said it was a signal for “other countries to come forward and interact with the Islamic Emirate.”
“We should establish good relations as a result of good interactions and, with good relations, we can solve all the problems that are in front of us or coming in the future,” said Mujahid.
The Chinese embassy in Afghanistan slipped in a dig at the United States by saying that certain countries should “draw lessons” from the Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan, abandon their “double standards” on fighting terrorism, and lift all sanctions against the regime.