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As I see it | Why Taliban’s approach to women’s rights matters to Beijing
- There are concerns over what the turmoil in Afghanistan means for its women, whose status has grown since the Taliban was last in power
- How the returning Taliban views women’s rights under Islamic law will be a measure of whether it is the kind of regime Beijing is hoping for
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Beijing’s strategy in handling the crisis at its doorstep became clearer in a call between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his US counterparts on Sunday.
Wang told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the international community, especially the United States, should communicate with and “guide” the Taliban as the latter forms a new Afghan government.
He also urged international aid for Afghanistan, in the hope of preventing the country’s economy from collapsing.
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China is trying to use its influence and rally other countries to do the same, given that the Taliban urgently needs resources and international recognition to pull together policies and a structure with which to govern.
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Malala voices fear for ‘Afghan sisters’ as women and girls face uncertainty under Taliban rule
Malala voices fear for ‘Afghan sisters’ as women and girls face uncertainty under Taliban rule
Beijing is hoping that the militant group may become less radical, thus reducing risks of instability and refugees at its border. More specifically, it has urged the Taliban to genuinely cut ties with terrorist groups, particularly the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a separatist group that Beijing blamed for violent attacks in Xinjiang years ago.
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