Zhao Sheng, China’s new ambassador to Afghanistan was welcomed with a lavish ceremony on the presidential palace in Kabul on Wednesday.
Within the palace ceremony, Taliban Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund shook fingers with Zhao and “accepted the credentials of the brand new Chinese language Ambassador,” the prime minister’s workplace mentioned on social media platform X, CNN reported.
Solely a handful of nations together with Pakistan, Iran and Russia have maintained diplomatic relations with Afghanistan for the reason that Taliban took over the federal government in August 2021. The Taliban authorities has not been formally recognised by the US and a number of other different Western leaders. The West has repeatedly been criticised for violating human rights, significantly the suppression of ladies’s rights beneath the Taliban’s regime.
“The Honorable Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate thanked the management of China for the appointment of Mr Zhao Sheng as ambassador and expressed hope that this appointment would elevate the diplomatic relations between the 2 nations to a better degree and the start of a brand new chapter,” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid informed CNN.
Zhao mentioned China “absolutely respects Afghanistan’s independence, territorial integrity and independence in decision-making.” Prime Minister Hasan Akhund “expressed his hope for taking extra steps to additional strengthen the bilateral relations,” Mujahid mentioned.
After the Taliban took over the Afghanistan authorities, China was cautious about potential safety challenges within the area, however, since then Chinese language officers have confused rising cooperation with Afghanistan on points reminiscent of anti-terrorism cooperation, and “financial collaboration” amongst others.
