Taliban meets with Chinese officials in Beijing

A Taliban delegation has traveled to China to discuss security issues in Afghanistan, as regional powers jostle to protect their interests in the final stages of the US withdrawal of troops.

Mullah Baradar Akhund, a top Taliban official, has led a nine-member delegation to Beijing on a two-day visit, where he met China’s foreign minister Wang Yi on Wednesday, according to the Islamist group.

“The meetings focused on political, economic and security issues related to the two countries, the current situation in Afghanistan and the peace process,” tweeted Mohammad Naeem, a spokesperson for the Taliban.

The Islamist group, which refers to itself as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said it had assured China that the country would not be used to threaten the security of any state. It added that Beijing had given assurances to expand “co-operation with the Afghan people” to not “interfere” in its affairs.

Wang told the delegation that the hurried US and Nato troop withdrawal showed that US policy had failed and created an “important opportunity for the Afghanistan people to stabilize and develop their country.”