China offers to host intra-Afghan talks and help anti-terrorism effort

Invitation follows similar outreach in Middle East as Beijing positions itself as a conflict mediator on the world stage

Foreign Minister Wang Yi has also offered to host Israeli-Palestinian peace talks

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China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has pledged Beijing’s support for Afghanistan and offered to facilitate intra-Afghan talks. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:00pm, 18 May 2021Updated: 11:28pm, 18 May 2021

China has offered to host talks between the parties in Afghanistan and pledged to help its anti-terrorism effort, in a move seen as Beijing positioning itself as a conflict mediator.

In a call with his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Haneef Atmar on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China would continue to support Afghanistan and South Asian countries in fighting the pandemic, and was willing to deepen anti-terrorism cooperation with Afghanistan.

In a separate call on the same day, Wang told Afghan national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib: “China is willing to facilitate intra-Afghan negotiations, including creating necessary conditions for holding the talks in China.”

According to a statement from the Afghan foreign ministry, the two sides aim to expand strategic cooperation to “ensure peace and strengthen regional consensus”, with Atmar expressing gratitude for China’s support in its peace process.

The US is expected to complete the withdrawal of its remaining 2,500 to 3,500 troops from Afghanistan by September, fuelling Beijing’s concerns that any resulting instability would pose a security threat to its neighbouring predominantly Muslim Xinjiang region.

Wang’s call came one day after a similar offer to the Israelis and Palestinians as he hosted a virtual UN Security Council meeting to discuss the deadly hostilities in the Middle East. It was a signal of Beijing’s intention to enhance its role in the region’s affairs, as part of its positioning as a global power.

The offers showed Beijing was trying to portray itself as a conflict mediator and lift its status on the world stage, according to Yan Wei, an international relations professor at Northwest University in China.

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