Biden says he thinks China will negotiate deal with Taliban
Washington, Sep 7 (EFE).- United States President Joe Biden said Tuesday he thinks China would try to reach an agreement with the Taliban, when asked about the possibility of Beijing providing funds to the insurgent group that controls Afghanistan.
“China has a real problem with the Taliban, so I’m sure they are going to try to reach some kind of agreement,” Biden said in remarks to reporters after arriving at the White House.
The president did not clarify what the agreement could consist of, and his remarks came in response to a question about whether he is concerned China may provide funds to the Taliban.
Biden added that Pakistan, Russia and Iran are also “trying to decide what to do now” that the insurgent group has come to power, coinciding with the withdrawal of international troops after 20 years of war in the country.
The International Monetary Fund has blocked the Taliban’s access to about $ 400 million of the organization’s emergency reserves, but some observers in Washington believe economic pressure could fall on deaf ears if China or Russia give funds to insurgents.
China’s priority is to avoid being affected by hostilities in Afghanistan, a country with which it shares a 60-kilometer border in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, an area populated by Uighur people and in which various attacks have been registered in recent decades.
Experts said Beijing wants to eliminate threats to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a trade route with an investment of $ 60 billion that will connect the city of Kasghar, in Xinjiang, with the Pakistani port of Gwadar.
Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Monday that the insurgent group – which has not yet formed an official government – wants to maintain good relations with the international community, and was especially close with China.
“China is a friendly country, they have helped us a lot and we have asked them to help us, to cooperate with us, we also ask the Chinese government to officially recognize our government and maintain diplomatic relations with us,” he said at a Kabul press conference.
According to the spokesman, the Taliban are ready to offer their “cooperation and full support for the security” of China’s economic projects in the region. EFE
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